Someone To Lean On
by TealEyedDragon
Summary: While out on a patrol Hitsugaya is stalked by something, when he intervenes he is attacked and seriously injured. Sparking an investigation it becomes apparent that it was no accident. Who is responsible? HitsuXMatsu ShunsuiXNanao UkitakeXUnohana
1. Chapter 1

Hello! This is my first ever bleachfic, I am a huge hitsu/matsu fan, originally intended as a one shot, but has I gave the story further thought, it has bloomed into a multichapter, Let me know what you think, comments and feedback are greatly appriciated.

I do not own Bleach

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Someone To Lean On. Chapter 1

Toushiro Hitsugaya, Captain of the 10th Division was walking through his barracks heading towards his office, a stack of paperwork in one arm and a huge sack of candy in the other arm courtesy of Captain Ukitake of the 13th Division, who had cornered him after the Captains meeting he had just attended that afternoon.

When he had left his quarters before the meeting it was quite sunny promising good weather for the rest of the day, but in the two hours during the drawn out meeting thick heavy storm clouds had built up making the whole place look grey, dull and dark. Cursing his luck for having to do a patrol duty that evening he silently wished the storm would stay at bay till after the patrol.

Balancing on one leg and leaning back slightly he used his other foot to give the office door a push open and stepped through, kicking it shut again with his heel. Crossing over to his desk to deposit his load, his foot caught on something causing him to trip. Out of sheer habit he stepped forward with his other foot to steady himself but unluckily stepped on what felt like an empty discarded bottle, which rolled from under his foot causing him to lose his balance anyway and fall flat on his stomach scattering the pile of paperwork and candies everywhere "Son of a Bitch". Propping himself up on his knees he surveyed the office scowling, finding the source of his trip which happened to be two empty sake bottles... Matsumoto!

Knowing her well enough, he looked over to the couch expecting to see her taking her usual afternoon nap, but was surprised to find that she was in fact sitting at her desk with her elbow propped on it and her head leaning on her hand staring off into space. Seemingly oblivious to his fall and the racket he had made, she hadn't even battered an eye, laughed at him, made some sarcastic comment about his clumsiness which he reminded himself was her doing, or anything remotely Matsumoto-ish. Odd.

Peeling himself off the floor he crossed over to his lieutenants desk having a good look at her thinking she had probably fallen asleep like that. Nope she was still awake just spaced out. The tell tale signs she had been crying a lot were present, red puffy eyes, tear streaks down her face, a sodden mass of tissues next to her elbow, and of course the two empty sake bottles on the floor his feet had found a few minutes ago.

Moving around the desk to stand in front of her he placed his hands on her shoulders and looked into her glazed steel blue eyes and gave her a gentle shake "Rangiku?"

Jumping violently her focus snapped to him like she had just been slapped "Captain! I .. I didn't hear you come in" she sniffed grabbing another tissue.

Looking over to the massacre on the floor "How could you not hear me?" he replied amazed.

Following his gaze her eyes went wide when they fell upon the carnage "Oh".

"Oh indeed". Grabbing her box of tissues and pulling her to her feet, Hitsugaya guided her gently over to the couch "Wait here Rangiku I'm going to make tea, would you like some?".

Receiving the tiniest of a nod he went into their kitchen to boil the water, grabbing two cups and placing the tea leaves in the teapot, and finally grabbing a tray to place everything on. Letting his mind wonder he didn't even need to ask Matsumoto what had her all upset, he was sure without a doubt it was Ichimaru.

Few minutes later he placed the tray on the coffee table and sat beside his lieutenant handing her a steaming teacup. "Here, drink this it will help you feel better".

"Thanks Captain" fresh tears started to brim in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks once again.

Offering her another tissue Hitsugaya sighed inwardly, best get it started so she can start to feel better, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Taking a sip of her tea and then placing the cup on the table, she took a deep breathe and turned to face her Captain. "Its pretty silly really, I was taking my afternoon nap and I guess I must have been dreaming, only it turned into a bad one", taking another sip of her tea she continued on "I was on top of the Sokyoku hill and Gin was there".

He knew it, why was it always him that was the source of Matsumoto's tears. "He was leaving again, for good this time and he wanted me to go with him, I didn't want to go though, I told him to just go and leave me alone" she grabbed another tissue wiping away fresh tears.

Instinctively he put his arm around her shoulder to show some kind of comfort, not expecting her to lean into him like she did, "Its OK if you don't want to talk about it".

"He got really angry when I refused to go with him, he drew Shinsou and started attacking me, said if he couldn't have me then Soul Society couldn't have me either".

Hitsugaya sat their grinding his teeth together, he really despised Ichimaru, the traitorous bastard who screwed with everybody, the winter war ended two years ago Ichimaru died in that battle Hitsugaya saw to that personally, yet two years on and he was still hurting Matsumoto even in death.

"Then you showed up Captain to try and protect me, but he just cut you down and k..killed y..you anyway, then he laughed at me turned around and left, leaving me all alone, again".

"Shhhh its OK, I'm still here I'd never leave you like that" he replied rubbing her back with his hand soothingly.

"Its just a silly dream like I said" she continued "Just scared me a little bit, and when I woke up and you wasn't here I thought for sure that it had really happened and that you was... you know..."

Pulling her into a hug, they both sat there in a companionable silence neither wanting to move, a few minutes later however Matsumoto stood grabbing the box of tissues and headed towards the kitchen, "Thank you Captain I feel better for talking to you its really sweet of you, but I can sense Hinamori coming and I look awful and don't really want to be seen like this" she called behind her shutting the door to.

Hitsugaya sighed he could feel Hinamori approaching and didn't feel like one of her visits, if she wasn't harping on about Aizen's innocence she was usually trying to come up with some way of spending time with him in the evenings like on a date, which made him shudder, has far has he was concerned his childhood friend was more like a sister to him, and was out of the question has far as a relationship was concerned, she on the other hand didn't see that. She mentioned two days ago about dinner tonight if he wasn't busy, luckily he had patrol duty soon which would take up a huge chunk of the night, he just wouldn't mention to her that he had volunteered for it.

"SHIIIIIIRRRRROOOO CHANNNN!" Hitsugaya grimaced has his childhood friend burst through the door, seriously if she was so interested in him, calling him that stupid nickname wasn't going to win her any points in her favour even if she did stand a chance with him in the first place.

Planting a fake smile on his face he turned to his friend "Hello Lieutenant Hinamori, what can I do for you?"

"Shiro-Chan that is so mean, you don't need to use such formalities with me" glancing around at his trashed office "And what happened here?"

Feeling his eye brow twitched "That's Captain Hitsugaya to you, stop calling me that stupid name and maybe I'd call you less formally" he knelt down to start picking up the fallen paperwork, "What brings you here anyway? Is there a reason or did you just want to bother me?"

"Don't you remember? I said I would drop by to see if you could make it to dinner tonight".

"Yes I remember but unfortunately has you can see I'm up to my neck in it, plus I have the evening patrol to do tonight" he could feel the shift in her mood from cheery to irritated.

"Cant you send someone else to do it?" she snapped "Like that lieutenant of yours" glancing over to Matsumoto's desk "I see she isn't here again like usual, dumping all the paperwork on you".

Oh no she just didn't! How dare she!

"Lieutenant Hinamori that's enough, Just because Matsumoto isn't here doesn't mean she isn't working, now if you don't have any official business here please leave I'm too busy today and have a lot to get done", he got up and placed (slammed) a pile of paperwork on his desk.

"Well I'm sorry you feel that way" retorted Hinamori turning on her heeling storming out and slamming the door on the way.

He sighed and went back to picking up the paperwork and candy, he jumped slightly when a pair of hands covered his eyes from behind, he turned to face Matsumoto and opened his arms for a hug, she melted into him and planted a soft kiss on his lips "You know Captain, if you just told her about us maybe she would get the message and stop with the childishness".

"Maybe, or maybe not, or she could snap altogether and run me through with a sword" he planted a kiss on her neck.

"Do you really have to do a patrol tonight?" she purred in his ear.

"Yes I'm sorry, I know you was looking forward to that picnic on the roof we have been planning for weeks now, I know patrol duty can be boring but do you want to come with me so we can still spend time together?"

"Sure, I could use the fresh air and exercise to clear my head a bit" looking out the window she sighed "Hope the storm don't hit while we are patrolling I hate thunder".

Hitsugaya smiled at her "I'm sure we,ll be OK".

A hell butterfly chose that moment to fly in through the window and perched itself on his finger, after delivering the message it flew off again. Sighing he turned to Matsumoto "Lets start the patrol early, they've scheduled a joint Captain / Lieutenant meeting in four hours at 11pm"

"Why so late? Never mind lets get going Captain".

Taking one last look at their still trashed office Hitsugaya grabbed Hyourimaru and slung it over his back, pocketed his soul phone that he had left on his desk earlier and headed out the door.


	2. Chapter 2

Someone To Lean On. Chapter 2

Trudging through deep puddles and soaking their already wet feet, the Squad 10 leaders carried on with their evening patrol of the outskirts of the Seireitei. The sky was black and thick with thunder clouds, flashing violently with streaks of lightening and booming claps of thunder that was deafening. The rain was lashing the pair in heavy torrents soaking them through to the bone and sending icy cold needles through them every time the chilly wind howled around them.

"Captain! Maybe we should head back? Feels like this storm is getting worse... Arggh!" A loud clap of thunder interrupted what Matsumoto was saying, making her jump and throw her arms over her head instinctively.

Normally he would scold her for suggesting they cut short a patrol duty however this time he was inclined to agree with her. They had begun their walk from the northern gate and headed clockwise towards the eastern gate first, the outer wall of the Seireitei circled around the whole compound with only four gates to allow access, which was guarded at all times by a gatekeeper and an immense thick heavy door that only the gatekeeper could lift to open.

They had just passed by Jidanbou at the western gate, who reported that everything was normal and were proceeding along the final quarter back towards the northern gate. Everything seemed fine not including the storm, but Hitsugaya couldn't shake the feeling of being watch or followed, he first noticed it when they was close to the southern gate but Matsumoto didn't appear to have noticed anything at all, pausing in his tracks he did a quick scan for any unusual reiatsu signatures.

"Something wrong Captain?" he glanced over to his partner who stood shivering and rubbing her arms for warmth, feeling slightly guilty for dragging her along , they had been only an hour into their patrol when the rain had started and ten minutes later it turned into a full blown storm, they had been out here close to two hours at this point.

"You can head back to the barracks Rangiku, this was my patrol I didn't order you to come along, besides I should only be another thirty minutes tops".

Not really liking the idea of leaving him out here alone but knowing full well he could take care of himself , decided she really wanted to get out of this storm and agreed to head back.

"Shall we meet back at the office Captain?"

Pulling out his soul phone to check the time, 9:30pm "Hmm" taking into account how long it would take to reach the northern gate then to make it back to his division, then have a quick shower and change into a dry set of uniform, and if he was lucky grab something to eat and drink before the meeting started at 11:00pm.

"Meet me in the office at 10:30pm if I'm not there by 10:45 go on ahead to the meeting, if I'm running short on time I will just head straight there and catch you up".

"Take care Captain" giving him a quick hug and a parting kiss, she shunpoed away leaving him to finish the walk alone.

Continuing on Hitsugaya was definitely sure now that someone or something was indeed following him. Every time he stopped it stopped, when he moved on it too would move on always maintaining the same distance from him. Perched up in the trees that was to the left of him, slightly behind his shoulder out of view, a safe fifty metres away, safe from any unexpected sword swings but able to keep him in sight always. He had slowed right down trying to figure out what its intentions could be.

Not wanting to risk alerting the 'Thing' that he knew of its presence he kept pressing forward maintaining the 'Blissfully Unaware' notion, while the whole time trying to keep track of his patrol route and keep tabs on his stalker behind him, mentally running through the list of possibilities.

So far it hadn't even attempted anything hostile towards him, it was waiting for something or for him to reach a specific place, but what! Luring it along for a bit longer was definitely the best option... for now.

Looking ahead he could just make out the torches burning in the brackets either side of the northern gate just coming into view, then the answer he needed hit him, the motive for being stalked, whatever it was the thing wanted to slip in through the gate behind him unnoticed. It wanted to sneak into the Seireitei for reasons unknown to him, no way was he going to allow that to happen, time to act.

Going through the motions of adjusting his haori and checking his soul phone '10:45 already! Had he really been out here that long after parting ways with Matsumoto?'. While using his senses to get an exact fix on its location, yes it was well out of sword range but kido would reach it for sure. Lucky for Hitsugaya being of Captain class, he didn't need to say the incantation to form this particular kido spell giving him the advantage.

Forming his kido ball, he spun around and fired it off in the direction of the thing, smirking when he hit it square on and knocked it off its branch, falling with a sickening crunch to the ground below. It was a simple spell meant to paralyse your opponent, he didn't want it dead he needed some answers. Drawing Hyourimaru from its sheath on his back, he approached the downed creature cautiously, whatever it was it appeared unconscious 'oldest trick in the book, if in trouble play dead' he wasn't fooled so easily what kind of a genius would he be falling for something so simple.

Hitsugaya had been waiting for some sign of movement for the last 15 minutes, he knew the thing could move if it wished to, the paralyse kido only lasted for a few minutes tops. He had managed to get a good look at it in that time, it was sprawled out on its back. It had a basic human shape sporting two legs, two arms and a torso but that was has far has similarity went, it looked like it was made of the thickest blackest smoke, it lacked any kind of solidness, its arms and legs shimmered and billowed, yet it was so compact together and the denseness of the smoke made it look solid at the same time. Its head was also in the human form like the rest of its limbs, but for its face it had a white bone mask, plain and simple with two holes for its eyes with the letters D.A printed on its forehead. It had the face of a hollow, but it lacked any reiatsu signature typical of a hollow or even an arrancar for that matter.

It felt almost artificial? It certainly was a mystery.

Waiting for it to make a move clearly wasn't going to gain results. Adjusting his grip on his sword he moved forward, reaching out with his sword and prodding it... Big Mistake! He regretted it immediately.

The thing leapt to its feet and an intense pressure slammed into him, pushing him backwards and slamming him painfully into a tree, sharp needles of pain spreading through out his spine while smacking his head against the trunk, causing him to see stars, blinking to clear his vision "Dammit" diving to his left to avoid the 'Hollow' has it chose that moment to charge at him, not getting out the way fast enough he felt its claws slash him across his back, the wounds felt deep and he could feel hot blood trickling down his back. Stumbling to his feet and taking a stance he called upon his zanpakuto, "Reign over the frosted heavens HYOURINMARU!"

Wasting no more time he swung his sword directing the icy dragon towards the 'Hollow' expecting it to sail through the smoky creature, but was surprised when it connected and threw the hollow back several paces. Aiming another icy dragon this time it passed right through it leaving it standing 'not good'. Seems this thing could solidify at will.

The hollow came charging back a pair of solid claws on its hand raised to strike, swiping at Hitsugaya slashing him painfully across his chest, leaving deep gorge marks that spurted out blood instantly. Enough was enough his head and back was throbbing from his collision with the tree, his chest was burning from the slashes, he felt dizzy and sick maybe he was concussed, and he was horribly aware of just how soaked he was from being out in this god forsaken storm for god knows how long now. He was ashamed to admit it, he had seriously underestimated this thing even though he had shown caution. It looked like a hollow but having fully engaged it in combat he realised its capabilities were like that of an arrancar. He needed to end this soon, not sure if he could take much more damage.

Taking a quick look at his surroundings 'rain, rain everywhere'.

"BANKAI! Daiguren Hyourimaru!" Sprouting his icy dragon wings has he merged with Hyourimaru he rose up into the air putting some distance between him and his opponent. Firing off a quick paralyse kido towards the hollow knowing it would pass through it, the hollow has expected chose that moment to solidify once again and charge towards Hitsugaya leaping high up into the air to reach him. Being prepared Hitsugaya fired off another quick kido spell, this time a high level binding spell, it slammed into the hollow stopping it dead in mid air forcing it to crash back to the ground. "Sennen Hyoro" Using all the moisture from the surrounding area 'and there was a lot of it' multiple pillars of ice began rising up from the ground surrounding the immobile hollow, growing taller and thicker has they went, drawing closer together until finally they connected trapping the hollow within it, freezing it instantly, there was no escaping for it now.

Placing Hyourimaru back in its sheathe on his back, wincing painfully has it brushed against the gashes 'definitely going to be sore and bruised tomorrow' he took a look around, thick ice covered everything in a mile radius, the ice prison being the exact centre, trees, grass, rocks even deep puddles from the storm which was still raging on was solid, the only difference now was the rain had turned into snow. It was an odd sight to see, a snow storm accompanied by thunder and lightening, but that was the nature of his zanpakuto ice and snow type with the ability to affect the weather.

Pulling out his soul phone the first thing he noticed was the time 11:30pm he was late for the Captain/Vice-captain meeting, also the number of missed calls, 2 from Ukitake, 1 from the Head-captain and 7 from Matsumoto, he felt oddly guilty that she would be worried about him. He wasn't too worried about being late for the meeting though, the moment he released his shikai his spiritual pressure would have been noticeable back in the Seiretei, the moment he went bankai he would be like a huge shiny beacon standing out in a night sky. They would know he had run into trouble, and now that he had resealed his sword they would assume one of two things, either he had been victorious and would then report in, or he had been defeated and his sword had gone back to its original state due to loss of consciousness.

Choosing the Head-captain's number on his soul phone he turned to see how far from the Northern gate he was, but has he spun his foot slipped on the ice below twisting his knee painfully causing it to give way, his phone dropped out of his hand has he fell forward cracking his forehead against a frozen boulder. The last thing he was aware of was the darkness claiming him.


	3. Chapter 3

Someone To Lean On Chapter 3

Dropping out of her shunpo, Matsumoto was relieved to find that the captains and lieutenant's of the other squads waiting outside the massive double doors of the 1st divisions meeting hall, which were still firmly shut, they would only open once the Head-Captain was ready to permit them inside.

Despite what her captain had said, she had hung on at the office for another 5 minutes, but when he didn't show up she rushed to the meeting, hoping to talk to him before it started. Scanning around the assembled crowd for the familiar crop of white spikes, she was puzzled when she didn't see him, her captain would never be late for any meeting. Taking another scan of the waiting area just in case she had missed him before, she didn't notice that the other squad leaders had started filing into the meeting, too concerned with her search. She felt a tap on her shoulder pulling her away from her thoughts.

"Captain!" she called spinning around to face him hopeful. The smiling face looking at her kindly was the wrong man, although he too had a white mane, she was disappointed it wasn't her captain "Captain Ukitake".

"Hello Rangiku chan, is everything OK " greeted Ukitake calmly "You look a bit worried standing there, and everybody is waiting inside".

"I'm sorry Captain Ukitake, I was looking for my captain". They both started towards the doors "Have you seen him while you have been waiting?"

Ukitake seemed to be considering. "No I cant say that I have" seeing the worry flash over her eyes he quickly added "He's probably already inside, he is known for being the punctual one around here".

Matsumoto smiled at the other captain, Ukitake was well liked by many Shinigami, and cared a great deal for his subordinates, always happy to help and always a smile present on his face. He had a special fondness for her captain, he saw Hitsugaya has the son he always wanted showering him with various sweets and snacks, much to Hitsugaya's char-grin. "I hope so Captain Ukitake".

Entering the meeting room Ukitake lined up in his usual designated place, Matsumoto however stopped dead in her tracks when she saw everyone who was supposed to be there assembled in the normal orderly lines, her captains place between the captains of squad 8 and 12 was empty. 'He's not here' Worry settled in her stomach like a brick making her feel ill, it just wasn't right.

"Hiya Ran-chan" greeted Shunsui Kyouraku, the pink clad captain of squad 8 lifting his customary straw hat in greeting.

Snapping out of her thoughts regarding her captains whereabouts, she remembered where she was and hurried over to her place, standing behind where her captain usually stood.

It was traditional during captains meetings, for the captains of the even numbered squads to line up in numerical order on the left side of the room facing the centre, while the captains of the odd numbered squads lined up on the right facing the even numbers, While the Head-Captain sat in a chair at the head of the room. On the rare occasions a joint meeting was called with the lieutenant's, they would be placed behind there own captain's maintaining the order.

There was a quiet patience about the room, everyone waiting for the meeting to begin, which would only commence once everyone was present. Only one more person needed to arrive, her captain.

Pulling out her soul phone Matsumoto selected Hitsugaya's number and dialled placing it discreetly next to her ear, looking across the room she noticed that Ukitake had the same idea, he met her gaze nodding and put his phone back in his pocket. Normally soul phones were only issued when being sent on a mission to the world of the living. Hell butterflies were the usual means for communication through out the Seireitei but with inbuilt Hollow detection and many other useful features, soul phones soon became favourable and hell butterflies instead were used to deliver non urgent messages and notices such has meeting times. Only Captains and lieutenant's were allowed use of a soul phone.

"Lieutenant Matsumoto" bellowed the Head-Captain.

"Yes Sir" she replied stepping forward to attention.

"Captain Hitsugaya is 5 minutes late, is he intending on showing up?"

Matsumoto's mouth went dry "Yes he was intending to show up Sir".

"Do you know of his whereabouts lieutenant? Or is he otherwise engaged with other matters?"

"I'm not sure Sir, the last time I saw him was when we parted ways just after reaching the Western gate during the evening patrol".

The Head-Captain didn't question her any further, but seemed to fall deep into thought, the whole room seemed to be holding itself waiting. "Very well lieutenant, I shall allow 5 more minutes, then this meeting will begin regardless".

Matsumoto stepped back into line, pulling out her soul phone once again dialling her captains number frantically, again he didn't answer but she didn't give up and chose to use the extra 5 minutes determined to get a reply from him. When the Head-Captain finally banged his heavy staff on the wooden floor to call everyone's attention, she pocketed the phone frustrated, looks like this time she would have to pay attention so she could relay the information back to her captain.

How was she supposed to do that, when she was so sick with worry over her captains disappearance.

"This meeting has been called" began the Head-Captain, but he never got to finish the sentence, has a heavy pressure hit everyone in the room. Multiple beeps sounded in the room has soul phones alerted their owners to the presence of foreign reiatsu in the nearby area.

Grabbing her phone again Matsumoto saw that it couldn't pinpoint its exact location, although it seemed to be somewhere from the west.

"What the hell, that's some unusual pressure there" stated Kyouraku.

"Indeed Shunsui" agreed Ukitake.

A second pressure was felt shortly after the first burst, but this time it was cool and familiar. 'Captain' Matsumoto didn't know if to be relieved or concerned, her captain was still out there after all this time and had been forced to release his shikai.

"Captain Hitsugaya seems to be on the case" commented the huge wolf faced captain of squad 7, Komamura.

"Tch, Little squirt gets all the fun fights" noted Zaraki, the blood thirsty captain of the 11th squad.

Silence fell over the room, everyone occupied using their senses to observe the clash of spirit pressure outside the walls, the meeting temporarily forgotten. It went on for some time until there was a notable drop in Hitsugaya's pressure clearly the little captain was taking a beating out there, this worried both Matsumoto and Ukitake until Hitsugaya's pressure increased tenfold, momentarily sending a couple lieutenant's in the room to there knees, Captain Hitsugaya had released his bankai.

"I hope he has the sense to keep whatever he is fighting alive" piped up the creepy Captain of squad 12, Kurotsuchi "It should make an interesting research subject".

What seemed like 5 minutes later, the foreign pressure dissipated altogether, then Hitsugaya's pressure settled down to a normal level. Everybody at this point was quietly waiting again, knowing a call from the Young Prodigy would be coming any minute. Sure enough the Head-Captain's phone rang, he raised it to his ear.

"Yes Captain Hitsugaya?" …... "Hitsugaya?" The Head-Captain snapped his phone shut.

The strangest thing happened then, Hitsugaya's pressure flared momentarily before falling rapidly and fading out, it was a strain to feel it. It was still there but very faint and weak, like he was barely holding onto life.

"Kids in trouble" Shunsui sighed, pulling his straw hat down over his eyes.

Matsumoto couldn't take it any more, "Please Head-Captain, allow me to go help my captain" she pleaded.

"I cannot allow that lieutenant". Matsumoto was about to make an angry retort when he added, "Not alone given the circumstances, I shall send two Captains, however you may feel free to accompany them, Do I have any volunteers?"

Ukitake stepped forward without hesitation "I shall go Head-Captain" which Matsumoto was grateful for, like herself Ukitake was worried for her captains welfare too. Seeing his long time best friend volunteer Kyouraku stepped forward.

"Me too Yama-Jii" he glanced over to Ukitake and nodded.

Captain Unohana from the 4th squad chose that moment to speak up for the first time since being in the meeting hall, "I'm heading back to fourth, I'm sure Captain Hitsugaya will require medical assistance, I will have a treatment room prepared for his arrival should he need it, Lets go Isane" she said has she left the meeting room with her lieutenant close behind.

"Very well, Juushiro, Shunsui and lieutenant Matsumoto, search for Hitsugaya and take him to squad 4, report back to me any findings immediately" ordered the Head-Captain.

"Yes Sir" they replied in unison and headed out the door.

"Everyone else, return to your barracks, this meeting is postponed until further notice, Dismissed".


	4. Chapter 4

Here I am, back with chapter 4, I should be updating on a fairly regular basis, Im currently off work with a bad injury so im taking full advantage of all this extra time, this story seems to be evolving into quite a complex plot and I feel many more chapters will be on the way before its over. I have chapter 5 down on a rough draft and the start of chapter six.

Many thanks to my first two reviewers Mew Kisu and Sagitgirlth Im happy my first 3 chapters have piqued your curiosity, I hope this next chapter does,nt dissapoint, and now Happy reading =)

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Someone To Lean On Chapter 4

It wasn't hard to guess the rough location of the young captain, as soon has the three of them stepped out of the meeting hall it was painfully obvious.

Peering to the west through the thick snow that had replaced the torrential rain from earlier with a mini blizzard, the flashes of lightening glinted off an enormous column of thick ice that reached up high into the night sky.

"Captain" Yelled Matsumoto, before dashing off through the snowy streets of Seiretei, heading towards the northern gate the closest one to their position.

"Lieutenant" called out Ukitake, "Wait" but Matsumoto was already too far ahead to hear him.

"Let her go Juu" Kyouraku said wrapping his pink haori tighter around his shoulders "Poor girls frantic about the little guy".

"Its not that Shunsui", Ukitake paused surveying the sky and looking in the direction Matsumoto had rushed off in. "She just isn't thinking straight in her panic, She has rushed off ahead not even considering using shunpo".

Kyouraku chuckled lightly "So your right, should be easy to catch up to her, lets go Juushiro".

In perfect synchronization the two shunpoed off, dropping out of it seconds later just before the northern gate. "She'll catch up soon, we,ll wait here for her". Commented Kyouraku, sneaking a quick gulp of sake from the flask hidden in his robes.

A loud crack of thunder boomed over head, looking over to his friend Ukitake sighed exasperated, "Shun! How can you drink at a time like this?"

"I need help calming my nerves" he replied lazily "The evenings events so far have left me feeling like an emotional wreck, plus I don't have my lovely Nanao-chan by my side" he whined.

"Enough, Give me that" Ukitake made a swipe for the flask, but Kyouraku held it out of reach.

The sound of running footsteps approaching snapped the two men's attention back to the matter at hand.

"Hey Ran-chan, slow poke" grinned Kyouraku.

"Rangiku-chan, I know your worried about Toshiro-kun, we all are" Ukitake couldn't help but glance at the ice column once again, which looked even more vast now they was closer too it "But please don't rush off again, we don't know what happened to Hitsugaya, anything could be waiting out there".

Matsumoto took a deep calming breath, fighting the hot tears that were threatening to spill over not wanting to cry in front of the two captains, it was rare for the kind captain to have to scold someone, and she noticed that even when he scolded her just now he still remained nice about it. The guilt was overwhelming her, it was because deep down she felt like she was somehow responsible for any injury her captain may have received, she had left him alone.

"I'm sorry" she turned away from the two men, while she tried to compose herself, "I just need to find him, he's hurt, I just know it" facing them again "I left him out there alone, its my fault if he's dead".

"Its not your fault, and we don't know for sure that he is, I understand how you feel Rangiku-chan, but you really shouldn't feel guilty". Finished Ukitake before walking out the northern gate and heading west.

Shunsui followed falling into step next to him matching his pace, Matsumoto trailed behind them. "Juu that ice column there is pretty big, but it cant be that far away now, and see that dark shape about half way up?" pointed out Kyouraku.

Ukitake and Matsumoto both looked to where he was pointing, there was indeed something trapped inside.

"Seems little Hitsugaya took a prisoner" Kyouraku had an impressed look on his face "I like the kids style".

Making their way over to the ice column, ankles buried deep in the snow, silence fell amongst them as they all kept a look out for the first sign of Hitsugaya.

"Usually he can be spotted a mile off with his white hair and teal green eyes" commented Ukitake trying to make the silence feel a little less tense.

"Yea, not so easy now the kids in his natural element" Observed Kyouraku "Snows been falling for some time now, if he's unconscious somewhere, he could be buried under this stuff".

"OH MY GOD!" Screamed Matsumoto making Ukitake and Kyouraku jump.

Usually cheery and upbeat, Ukitake had never seen the squad 10 lieutenant so panicked before.

"He's been out in this thunderstorm for almost 4-5 hours!" she gasped "He's soaked through to the bone, if he's buried somewhere he could be freezing to death!" Without a word she broke into another run, but this time Ukitake didn't try to stop her, instead both he and Kyouraku also ran following her.

They didn't stop until Matsumoto slipped and fell onto her back "Oww" she complained.

"Careful there Rangiku-chan" Ukitake offered her a hand and pulled her to her feet.

"Look at this" Kyouraku called, he was crouched down a foot away from where Matsumoto had slipped brushing snow away "The grass ends here, and if you see" brushing more snow away "Thick ice starts here".

Going in for a closer look Matsumoto saw the ice, it was about five inches thick and most likely originated from its source, the ice pillar. She had seen this many times in battle along side her captain "I know this, its Captains bankai, Sennen Hyoro when the thousand year prison is used it tends to freeze the surrounding area for about a mile radius", Matsumoto stood up scanning the area.

"He's close then" Kyouraku offered "But where? He could be in the forest, or buried under this" indicating the snow.

"Or anywhere within a mile frozen under this ice sheet" finished Ukitake feeling rather glum.

"No choice then we spilt up" Kyouraku strode purposefully towards the forest "I call forest" and with that he was gone in a whirl of pink has he shunpoed away.

"We'll stick together Rangiku-chan" Ukitake placed one foot on the thick ice "Where there's ice, there's Shiro-Chan".

* * *

Once they reached the ice column Ukitake was examining it closely while Matsumoto decided to scout around for any sign of her captain. What ever had been trapped inside was difficult to see from the ground this close to. Taking in the rest of his surroundings he strode over to a nearby tree that had a thick coating of ice. Underneath the ice he could see crimson blood splattered on the frozen bark.

"Rangiku" he called, looking over his shoulder at her "Take a look at this this". He watched has she started stepping over some slightly raised snow that he assumed were rocks, carefully making her way over to him. He turned back to the tree when he heard a yelp, spinning around he found Matsumoto sprawled out on her front.

"Are you OK?" he called back.

"I'm OK, I just tripped over a rock or something". Looking back to see what her foot had caught on, she first noticed that the snow had a pinkish tinge to it. Brushing the snow away her hand came back sticky with blood!

"CAPTAIN UKITAKE GET OVER HERE!"

Hands shaking in panic she brushed more snow away, the first thing she uncovered was a sword strapped to a blood soaked, tattered and torn haori that had been dyed scarlet, the the kanji symbolizing 10 barely legible.

Ukitake appeared at her side that moment and knelt down next to her. "NO! He cried out.

Helping each other, they frantically dug away the snow that had settled over the unmistakable body of Captain Hitsugaya.


	5. Chapter 5

Someone To Lean On Chapter 5

Kyouraku had been searching in the forest not too far away. From where he was, he could sense his best friend and Matsumoto. So far his search had turned up nothing. It was highly probable the kid wasn't in here, the trees stood close together limiting room for movement and would make for poor combat ground. Nothing looked disturbed in the frozen forest.

Deciding to join back up with Ukitake, he had only taken a few steps when he heard Matsumoto's anguished voice calling for Ukitake, stepping into shunpo once again he landed at the edge of the forest and saw Ukitake and Matsumoto digging at something on the ground.

"You find him?"

"Quick shun, help us" Acknowledge Ukitake who was scooping snow away from where the kids head was buried.

Between the three of them they had Hitsugaya's body uncovered in record time. Lifting him gently, they moved him from the dug out hole of snow. Kyouraku untied Hitsugaya's sword strap and removed the katana from his back exposing three deep bloody gorge marks on his back. "What a mess" he sighed.

Placing the young captains sword to one side, he shrugged off his white captains haori, his straw hat and pink haori already laying discarded at his side.

Once they had relieved Hitsugaya of his sword they gently rolled him over onto his back, mindful of the deep wounds that had ripped through his skin.

"Is he alive?" Matsumoto sobbed, asking the question they all needed to know.

Kneeling down Ukitake placed two fingers on Hitsugaya's frozen neck seeking for a pulse, and placed his ear above his mouth to check for breathing. It only took a couple of seconds but to Matsumoto and Kyouraku it felt like an eternity.

Looking at her captain lying there, Matsumoto assumed the worst. His usual snowy white mop was dyed a deep crimson red, he had a nasty wound on the back of his head, in the time he had been out here the blood had frozen into small icicles that hung off the ends of his locks.

Looking at his face, he had a deep gash on his forehead which had dark bruising around it. Blood had trickled down his face from the gash, down over an obvious broken nose which had swelled and caused bruising under his eyes. His lips had turned blue and his skin was ghostly pale.

On his chest, like his back Matsumoto saw he had three more deep bloody gorge marks, these had frozen over too. His uniform, wet from the storm was stiff where they had frozen solid to his little frame. Everyone would joke that he was a walking ice cube, now he was the ice cube.

"He's alive!" Ukitake announced "But barely, there's a very weak pulse and his breathings slow and erratic".

"We need to get him to Retsu fast Juu" Kyouraku said grabbing his phone out his pocket and dialling Captain Unohana "We can still save him".

Matsumoto was knelt over her captains body, frozen in shock barely aware Ukitake was speaking to her, it wasn't until she heard "Lieutenant Matsumoto that's an order!" that she became aware that he needed her help with something.

"Rangiku, we need to get these wet icy clothes off him, I'm certain he already has hypothermia". Ukitake's words finally sunk in and she snapped into action. Her Captain was still alive! And he needed her.

Kyouraku had joined them by their side again, "Retsu said to get any wet clothing off him and get him to 4th immediately" he supplied while spreading his pink haori out on the ground "Juu can I have your haori please".

Ukitake slipped it off and passed it over to his friend, then went back to helping Matsumoto strip Hitsugaya's uniform off, which was proving difficult, the robes were frozen solid. Once they had him completely stripped they placed him on Kyouraku's pink haori which he had laid out ready. Wrapping it tightly around his small body, they then used the other two white haori's to blanket him further.

Kyouraku scooped him up in his arms and held him close to, "Retsu stressed that we should share body heat, but this will have to do for now, I want to get him to 4th fast, I'm going on ahead, see you there" Turning on his heel once again he was gone in a flash, carrying his injured cargo with great care.

* * *

Ukitake scooped up the remains of Hitsugaya's ruined haori deciding to abandon the other black robes, and picked up Hyourimaru. Looking over to Matsumoto he saw that she was crying, he went to stand by her and placed a comforting arm around her shoulder, "I know its hard seeing the one you love in such a bad way".

"How do you know about..." she trailed off.

"About your relationship with Hitsugaya-kun?" Ukitake finished for her "I was going to suggest we shunpoed back, but maybe a walk instead" he looked up into the sky, the thunder and lightening had fazed out a short time after they had left through the northern gate, the blizzard however had been relentless during their 'Rescue Mission' but he noted in amusement the moment they had found the young prodigy it had calmed down to a steady flurry.

"We decided it would be for the best if we kept it secret for a bit" wiping the back of her hand over her eyes "Toushiro was worried that a relationship between a captain and lieutenant of the same squad would be seen has inappropriate". She felt a gentle pressure on her shoulder, and she started walking guided by Ukitake.

"Of course Toushiro wont let it effect the running of our squad, but he wanted to be careful, didn't want to risk us being split up".

By now the two of them had passed through the western gate and was making their way through the surrounding area of Squad 9 "I think that is a wise choice Rangiku but don't worry about it too much" Matsumoto stopped when Ukitake took a left turn.

"Captain Ukitake we needed to go right back there to get to the 4th" he didn't stop though and carried on, guiding her by his arm still around her shoulder.

"I know, but I would like to stop by your division first if that's OK" not really giving her a choice in the matter.

"Sure OK" she answered rather sceptically, this wasn't lost on Ukitake.

"I know your desperate to see Toshiro-kun, but there is no real rush to get there, he is in good hands with Retsu and I assure you she wont allow any visitors until he is fully stabilized" turning another corner he continued "Besides Shunsui will be there, he,ll call if anything major happens in the mean time".

Turning another corner Ukitake continued on with their previous conversation "You know, your not the first Captain Lieutenant team to fall in love and start a relationship" Matsumoto's eyes widened slightly at his words "I've seen it happen a few times during my time has a captain, and more recently with Shunsui and Nanao".

"So what me and Toushiro have, shouldn't cause a problem?"

"No, Unless.."

"Unless what? Captain Ukitake"she prompted.

"Lets say hypothetically of course, that it didn't work out between the two of you, and that you couldn't stand being around each other, couldn't have a conversation without falling into an argument and that it filtered into the day to day running of your squad, and because communication isn't present between the leaders, the squad would quickly fall into disarray and its performance would go down hill" he paused for breathe "When called in front of the Head-Captain to explain why the squad was failing and the cause of the break down is because of a lovers quarrel..." he stopped to allow her to make the connection.

"Don't expect the news of the relationship to go down well" she concluded "and be prepared to face the consequences".

"Exactly" he smiled at her glad she had understood "although I don't see that happening with you and Toushiro, your good for each other" turning yet another corner onto a main walkway that would lead them out of squad 9 grounds Ukitake seem to be deciding on something "Toushiro, I see him has the son I've always wanted, although I don't think he shares that sentiment, regardless I would still do anything for him" he was about to say something else when a lone figure shrouded in shadow came into view at the end of the walkway drawing the pairs attention.

* * *

Immediately on guard they were both relieved however when it turned out to be the acting captain of squad 9 Shuhei Hisagi. "Captain Ukitake Sir, Lieutenant Matsumoto" he greeted has they approached.

"Evening Shuhei-kun" replied Ukitake politely.

"Hiya Shu" Matsumoto supplied, she knew exactly what would be asked next.

"Any news about Captain Hitsugaya?" and there it was thought Matsumoto.

Ukitake exchanged a look with Matsumoto, neither of them really sure how to answer until Shuhei spotted the blood soaked haori and the sword of the squad 10 captain in Ukitake's hand, and noticed the absence of Ukitake's own haori "You found him?"

Matsumoto seemed unable to answer so Ukitake spared her "Yes we did"

"And is he..?"

"He's been taken to 4th for treatment by Shunsui, we just needed to stop by the 10th before we went on to the 4th ourselves"

"I see, well I hope he's going to be OK, its a good thing your heading to the 10th Rangiku, I just came from there seems a handful of your division members, are kinda worried"

"I see" she replied "I guess all they have heard is rumours and no solid facts yet. Correct?"

"Something like that, plus no Captain or Lieutenant around to get the right facts from" he concluded "I must go, see you around Rangiku, Captain Ukitake" he nodded and walked away.

* * *

Continuing on they took a left at the end of the walkway and rounding the corner the squad 10 courtyard came into view, Matsumoto froze, true to Shuhei's word there was about 20 squad members gathered around the decorative water fountain that had pride of place in the centre of the courtyard, in front of the administration building. It was a spectacular fountain, the captain chose it personally when he became their leader, it was made out of plain sturdy stone with the kanji for 10 and the squads insignia the daffodil engraved upon it, but he had personalized it by encasing it in solid ice that glittered beautifully like diamonds when the sun caught it, and it would never melt he told them, 50 years later it was still standing. It had been his gift to them, his new division.

Ukitake had noticed her hesitation "What's wrong Rangiku-chan?"

"They know something has happened to Captain, why else would they be gathered around his fountain".

"They don't need to know all the details, they just need some assurance a few words to put them at ease".

"I know your right, I just need a minute though" she stalled "What are we going to do about these" she indicated the ruined haori and her captains Zanpakuto.

"Lieutenant!" called one of the gathered squad members.

"Lieutenant Matsumoto!" called another.

Looking at the expectant crowd she took a deep breath and headed over to them. As soon has she had closed the gap she was bombarded with questions. Ukitake had stayed back a little bit, without his white captain's haori they hadn't recognized him immediately.

"I know you all have a lot of questions" she began and a silence fell over the courtyard "and I will try to answer them best I can".

One of the older members spoke up from the back "We heard rumours Captain Hitsugaya has been attacked and has gone missing, it it true?"

"We all felt him fighting earlier and now there's no trace of him anywhere!" stated their 5th seated officer.

"Lieutenant" this time it was one of the younger members of the squad "Is Captain Hitsugaya dead?"

Matsumoto felt a painful pang in her chest, before she could answer any of those questions another member spoke up. "Of course he is dead, its obvious..."

The sudden silence that came over her squad meant that Ukitake had decided to come on over.

The 5th seat spoke up again "Don't be stupid, its obvious he is still alive, Captain Ukitake" he inclined his head respectfully "If I'm not mistaken is that Captain Hitsugaya's Hyourimaru?"

Matsumoto glanced at Ukitake, true he was still holding onto her captains sword, but she noticed gratefully that he had folded the destroyed haori in such a way that it hid the 10 kanji and the massive blood stain, and had it draped over his arm, passing it off has his own, when really his was being used has a blanket. It wouldn't do have them see their captains haori in such a bad condition.

"Yes indeed it is" he replied with his usual warm calming tone "And as you can see its in perfect condition, if your captain had died it would have disintegrated along with him"

Matsumoto then addressed everyone "From what we know, Captain Hitsugaya was ambushed while out patrolling" she paused "Captain Ukitake, Captain Kyouraku and myself was sent out to investigate".

"Did you find him?" asked the older member from before.

"Yes we did, although he is badly injured, he is still alive and currently being treated at squad 4".

There was a collective sigh of relief when she had finished her sugar coated recollection, but it had done what she had intended to do and put them at ease. Satisfied with her answers they all filed away and it was just her and Ukitake left in the courtyard.

"Is that why you wanted to come here Captain Ukitake?"

"I had an inkling that this may have been a slight problem, but no I wanted to drop Toshiro-kun's sword off here before went to 4th"

"Why is that?" she asked curious.

"Captain Unohana wont allow Toshiro-kun to have it nearby". Matsumoto's face must have reflected her confusion because he elaborated further.

"Its something that Retsu decided to implement when dealing with patient's that have fallen unconscious during battle" By now they had reached the office and Matsumoto was unlocking the door with her key "When they finally wake up they could be confused thinking they are still amidst a battle, first thing they do is grab their sword".

They stepped through the door and Matsumoto hit the lights, she had forgotten the state they had left the office in, Ukitake made a quick scan and chuckled.

"Captain Ukitake has anyone ever woken up and accidentally stabbed anyone?"

"Only once, it was Captain Zaraki actually, he ran Retsu right through with his sword"

"Wow"

"Hence why the rule is in place now, where should I place Toushiro's sword?"

"Just over by his desk there would be great thanks" she replied. "Normally I would offer any guest of ours a drink of tea, but I'm quite anxious to get to 4th now."

"Well now you are a lot calmer after that walk, I think it will be OK for us to go, you may not have been aware of it but you was in shock back there".

Heading to the door and switching off the lights, Matsumoto locked up and joined Ukitake "We'll shunpo this time" and they were both gone in a flash.

* * *

Landing outside 4th they climbed the few stairs and entered the vast building, the 4th divisions 7th seat Hanataro Yamada came up to them "Captain Ukitake, Lieutenant Matsumoto greetings, Lady Unohana asked me to escort you to the captains private wing once you arrived" he started leading them down the corridors "Captain Kyouraku is already in the guests waiting area".

About five minutes later they arrived at the guest's waiting room and was ushered inside by Hanataro, Kyouraku was in one of the plush armchairs lounging, but sat up straight once Ukitake and Matsumoto walked in, they each picked a seat and settled around the coffee table in the middle "Would you like some tea?" Offered Hanataro.

They all agreed to tea and ten minutes later Hanataro left with the promise that either Captain Unohana or Lieutenant Kotetsu would be by as soon has they had Hitsugaya stabilized.

All they had to do now was wait "Might has well get comfy" stated Kyouraku transferring over to the couch and stretching out, falling asleep instantly.


	6. Chapter 6

Someone To Lean On Chapter 6

The light... It was too bright...It seared his eyes...Its too bright...It was the first thing he became aware of..

"Master" a deep rumble of a voice sounded nearby, yet at the same time sounded faraway and distant.

'Master Who?' he thought.

"Master You!" the deep voice replied amused.

'Wait... did it just hear me?' he questioned himself.

"Of course I heard you Master, you are me, and I am you".

'Huh?' he felt so confused.

"You are confused" said the deep voice.

'Stop that!' he thought, I need to think.

"Sorry" the voice answered going quiet... "Are you still thinking?"

'Gah!' he felt frustrated.

"I know its frustrating, Master".

"I said stop doing that!" he called out aloud "And stop calling me Master its..."

"Yes?" prompted the deep voice.

"Its..."

The deep voice had gone quiet, it was waiting for his answer he was certain of that, it was important somehow, he got the feeling he needed to get this right.

So far he had determined that the voice must belong to someone in the light, there's no way the light itself was capable of talking right? he got the feeling that the light was surrounding him protectively, but what was it protecting him from?

It wanted to know who he was, but he didn't even know who he was, that was when he stumbled upon a train of thought.

"Hey wait, you call me Master, and you claim that I am you, and that you are me".

"An accurate assessment Master"

"So tell me, who are you!" he demanded of the voice, if only he could see the owner of the voice, all he could see and feel was this blinding white light, could light even be felt? "And who am I" he finished.

"Clearly you are not ready, Master".

Why did he get the feeling he had just answered wrong? He felt an intense rush of heat wash over him, almost like someone had...

"Did you just breathe on me?"

"Yes Master, the warmth will hep you".

'Huh?' he started to feel heavy and sleepy again, aware that he was slipping away once again.

"It will make you feel sleepy again, don't fight it"

The light was slipping away from his grasp.

"What is this light I see?" he wondered aloud.

"Rest Master, I will keep you from harm, I will be protecting you, watching over you, now rest just for a bit longer".

The voice watched has the young white haired boy he held gently amongst his coiled up tail drifted off to sleep once again.

'Rest Toushiro, I wont let you die, I will not allow it, not by the ice you command'.

* * *

Matsumoto was making her way through the silent squad 10 barracks, she had been at her Captains quarters trying to get some sleep. After the winter war ended she had been plagued by nightmares, one particular night she had felt so scared and alone when she had been woken by a pretty horrible dream, she had sought out her Captain.

She had been surprised when she got to his quarters to find that he was awake, she had been worried about waking him in the late hour, but like her, he to was feeling the affects of the winter war. They spent the duration of the night talking, glad for the comforting presence of another person. The night time visits became a regular thing, it was about a month after that first night that her Captain confessed his feelings towards her, which she returned unconditionally. After that they had spent every night together since. Apart from tonight she thought with a sad pang.

She had arrived back to her division sometime after 4am, having been escorted by Captain Kyouraku. Captain Unohana had sent them all home after declaring she had managed to stabilize her Captains condition, she didn't tell them much only that he had hypothermia just has Ukitake had predicted, and that she would contact them tomorrow.

She had tried to sleep, but the worry for her Captain made it impossible, the place just felt so empty without him by her side. She gave sleep up as a bad job and had gone for a walk. It was still early, the sun wouldn't be up for at least another hour.

She reached their office and unlocked the door and flicked the lights on, first thing she noticed was the mess on the floor again. A small smile found its way to her lips, 'he said he fell, clumsy fool Captain'. Kneeling down she began to gather all the reports and sorted them into a neat pile. Next she collected all the candy and placed it in a bowl that sat on the coffee table, picked up all the used tissues she had left there yesterday and tossed them in the bin along with the two empty sake bottles. The office looked much neater now just how her Captain would want it.

She looked through the pile of paperwork she had picked up off the floor. It was a small pile compared to normal, her Captain had been well up to date with paperwork recently, partly due to her turning over a new leaf and helping him with it after he stated "Less paperwork to do during the day, means more time together after work".

That had been all the motivation she needed.

Sitting down at her Captains desk she grabbed an inkwell and brush, and picked up the first report. If the paperwork was up to date enough that the piles were coming in small, she felt she could cope with doing it all, for her Captain.

In less then two hours she had all the paperwork for that day complete and it was only 8am. She was feeling pleased with herself, and also tired she hadn't slept since the previous night. Standing up from the desk she noticed her Captain's sword propped up next to the desk. Not sure what compelled her to do it, she reached out and placed her hand on it. It hummed under her touch sending an icy cool, soothing feeling through out her body. Picking it up she went over to the couch and stretched out, holding the sword close to her, in a matter of minutes she was pleasantly sound asleep.

* * *

Matsumoto didn't know how long she had been asleep, but she was woken by the unholy sound of loud banging on the office door. Startled she shot upright and her Captain's sword clattered to the floor. Using her senses she recognized the spirit energy 'Hinamori' she growled in annoyance, she figured if she just ignored it, she would go away. No such luck.

"Lieutenant Matsumoto open this door!" she demanded banging even louder then before "I know your in there now open up".

Losing patience Matsumoto had gotten to her feet about to yank the door open and yell at her to zip it, when she felt two more familiar energy signatures heading towards the office door.

"Lieutenant Hinamori" came the warm slightly raspy tone of Captain Ukitake "Is it really appropriate for a lieutenant to behave in such a way" Matsumoto couldn't fail to listen in from the other side of the door "Maybe a bit of politeness would go a lot further" she could imagine the look on Hinamori's face that moment and grinned.

She then heard a smart tap on the door "Rangiku! Its Nanao, can we come in please" came the cool voice of Lieutenant Ise of squad 8, Kyouraku's squad. She also happened to be Matsumoto's best friend.

She unlocked the door, opened it and glanced at her visitor's.

"Captain Ukitake!, Nanao!" she called out with a happy smile she knew would piss off Hinamori "Lieutenant Hinamori" she added last rather cold.

"May we come in Rangiku-chan?" enquired Ukitake.

"Sure come on in" she replied stepping aside for them "Would you like some tea?"

* * *

Once they had all settled themselves around the coffee table Matsumoto asked what had brought them here, Ukitake being the gentlemen he was simply said "Ladies first" and had settled back on the couch enjoying his tea. Nanao was sitting next to Ukitake on one couch, while Hinamori was sat opposite Nanao on the other couch, glaring at her. Nanao just sat there with her cool composure indifferent.

Matsumoto glanced between Nanao and Hinamori deciding who to ask first, she was pretty sure Nanao had stopped by to offer help with the paperwork, so they could have a good chat and catch up most likely. She was the only person she had told about her relationship with her Captain. Ukitake obviously knew about it, so it was safe to assume Kyouraku did too.

Hinamori although she was a childhood friend of Hitsugaya and was quite dear to him at one time. That had all changed after the winter war. Hitsugaya finally realised that no matter what he did, what he said to convince her other wise, she was still latched on firmly to the belief that the traitor Aizen was an innocent man, despite seeing for herself the devastation the war had brought, and even though he was locked safley away, deep in the bowls of the Seireitei.

When nobody sympathized with her she soon dropped it, and appeared to go back to normal after awhile, but without her precious Aizen around, she soon tried to latch back onto Hitsugaya. But without much success, Matsumoto was his world now, and since their time together he had increasingly kept Hinamori at arms length.

Yes, it was obvious to Matsumoto, the girl was only here to try and score points with her Captain and hopefully make her look bad at the same time.

"So" Matsumoto began "Who would like to go first?"

"I stopped by to see if you needed help with the paperwork" they both said in unison.

Matsumoto sneaked a peak at Ukitake to see that he was hiding a smirk behind his cup. Nanao had been genuine in her offer to help Matsumoto, it was common knowledge Matsumoto despised paperwork, although it was only her Captain who was aware of her changed attitude towards it.

Hinamori had sounded somewhat irked when she had voiced her offer, definitely offering purely for blackmailing purposes later on.

"That's a very nice offer both of you" she got up and walked over to her Captains desk, grabbed the pile of paperwork she had completed earlier and placed it on the table "But I'm done for today, they just need delivering to 1st division".

Matsumoto caught Nanao's eye and saw a tiny smile there. The annoyance was evident on Hinamori's face "Well in that case if you don't need..." she began has she got to her feet "What's Shiro-Chan's sword doing on the floor!" she screamed outraged, startling the other three.

"Oh" Matsumoto started looking at the fallen sword "Must have slid off the table" she lied.

"Well it doesn't belong on the floor" Hinamori snapped back, has she bent down to pick it up, but flinched away like she had been burnt "Ouch" she cried out, dropping the sword again. When she brought her hand back up, it had a thin layer of frost on it.

"Lieutenant Hinamori, a persons Zanpakuto is a person soul, its not wise to touch another persons sword, they teach that has a basic back in the academy" Nanao stated in her cool tone.

"I know that" she replied hotly "But Shiro-Chan trusts me"

"You may think 'Shiro-Chan' trusts you" empathised Matsumoto "But clearly Hyourimaru thinks otherwise" she finished temper rising rapidly. She didn't care about offending her, the silly brat disturbed her sleep.

"Now, Now ladies" Interrupted Ukitake, deciding to step in before it turned into an ugly cat fight "Momo-chan, can you deliver this stack of reports to the 1st division, and then do the rounds and collect up the paperwork for tomorrow please, it would be a great help to Captain Hitsugaya" he smoothly hinted, clearly wanting her out of the room while he spoke to Matsumoto, why else would he allow them to sort their business first.

Nanao got to her feet "I'm glad you managed to get your paperwork done Rangiku, however if you find that you need help, the offer still stands, or if you need some company, call me OK?"

"Thanks Nanao" she replied gratefully.

"I best get going, who knows what trouble my Captain is getting himself into" she stopped before heading out the door "Goodbye Captain Ukitake, Rangiku" and bowed herself out.

Matsumoto bent down to pick up Hitsugaya's sword off the floor, but was stopped by Ukitake's warm hand before she could reach it.

"I'm curious Rangiku-chan" he said looking her in the eye with a serious expression.

"How did Toshiro-kun's sword end up on the floor?" he questioned "As I recall, I left it over by his desk last night".

He let her hand drop and watched amazed has she picked up the sword and placed it on Hitsugaya's desk "After I finished the paperwork earlier" she went back over to the couch but remained standing "I was feeling tired, I passed by my Captains sword and it just felt like it was inviting me to pick it up, it felt soothing" Ukitake was on his feet now standing a few short paces away "I took it over to the couch and I guess I fell asleep".

"Hmm Interesting"

"Something wrong with that Captain Ukitake?"

"Please, call me Juushiro" Ukitake could tell she wasn't expecting that, the look on her face said it all.

Matsumoto was taken aback.'Wait did he just say that? Did he just ask her to call him by his first name?' "Well if that's what you want Sir" she replied uncertainly. The only Captain she was on a first name basis was with Hitsugaya, but they were in an intimate relationship that was different.

"Its fine really" he replied with his reassuring smile. "And back to your previous question, there's nothing wrong with it at all, the sword reflects its wielders soul, It just shows that Toshiro-kun has great trust in you".

"I see and what about Hinamori just now?"

"I assume that even though she was a close childhood friend, they obviously don't have the same level of trust has you do with him".

"You was able to carry my Captains sword last night".

"And your probably wondering how that is possible, correct?"

"Yes, I've always known not to touch another persons Zanpakuto, basic instinct I guess, like its a violation. But last night it was like Hyourimaru was inviting me, I guess I never really looked into the shared bonds thing." concluded Matsumoto.

Ukitake had stepped closer to her and took hold of her hands in both of his, it felt kind of strange to her, and if it had been any other man alive they would have been nursing a black eye by now, but this was Ukitake the kindest Captain in the Gotei 13,

she trusted him like he was a favourite uncle, just like she trusted her Captain.

"Well it goes back to what I was saying last night Rangiku-Chan" he shifted his weight from each foot "How Toushiro is like a son to me".

"But you said, you didn't think he shared the same sentiment".

"That's what I believed until last night" he paused a few moments before carrying on, absent mindedly tracing circles with his thumb over her hand. "I'm always telling him that he's like a son to me, and deep down even though he wont admit it to me, he has accepted the fact, and because he has accepted it to himself, Hyourimaru also accepts it, recognizing the special bond has paternal."

He looked her in the eye again "Who can you trust more then a parent?"

Silence fell between them, each lost in their own thoughts.

"Captain Ukitake" Matsumoto was the first to break the long silence, he was still tracing circles on her hands.

"Yes Rangiku-chan?"

"Was there a reason why you came to visit me?"

He stood there with his warm hazel eyes fixed firmly on hers. 'Dammit' she berated herself for asking that, it sounded like she was trying to get rid of him.

"Don't get me wrong" she hurried to rescue the situation "I like it when your around, I enjoy your company" she finished unable to pull her eyes away from his.

He broke contact and let go of her hands, walking over to the door, her first thought was that he was leaving, but when he simply turned the lock with a resounding 'Click' and walked back over to her, the confusion was written all over her face.


	7. Chapter 7

Hello! Back with another chapter, I would like to take a moment to thank everybody who has taken an interest in this story so far, I appreciate every Alert and Favourite and Im very happy and thankful to everyone who has left me a review, it encourages me to further the story knowing that there are people anxious to know what happens next. Theres still many more chapters to come yet, and im trying to get them out at a regular pace while Im off work, but without compromising on quality =) Thats all for now and Happy Reading.

* * *

Someone To Lean On Chapter 7

Captain Unohana had just finished her morning rounds of her division, over seeing the handover from the night shift over to the day shift, and was making her way to the Captain's Wing of the infirmary.

Entering the room with the Squad 10 kanji on the door, she found her Lieutenant there checking on Hitsugaya and changing his bandages on his head for clean ones.

He was hooked up to an I.V that was pumping fluids and blood back into his system, between the wounds he had received on his chest and back, and the two head injuries, he had lost an alarming amount of blood.

He had bandages wrapped around his torso from his waist up to his armpits, then secured around his shoulders. His wrist on his main sword arm was strapped in a support bandage, along with his right knee that had been sprained badly.

He also was sporting two black eyes from where his nose had been broken, and his head was heavily bandaged, obscuring his blood stained hair, apart from the usual tuft that hung over his eye. They had cleaned his head the best they could, but his hair would have a pinkish tinge to it for a bit. Unohana would never admit it out aloud, but with his bandaged head, the little tuft of hair, and a scowl free face, he looked adorable lying there, despite the heavy injuries, and the oxygen mask covering his mouth and nose.

"Good Morning Isane, how is our patient this morning?".

"He's doing well Captain" reported Isane "I've checked his vitals every 30 minutes since he stabilized" She finished re-dressing his head and grabbed the clipboard with the readings on, handing it to her Captain. "His temperature was reading very low, then at 5:30am it had risen considerably".

Unohana looked at the readings comparing the temperature's from 5:00am and 5:30am "That cant be possible" surprised at the big jump in such a short space of time.

"That's what I said too".

"He's jumped from being severely hypothermic, to a normal temperature in the space of 30 minutes?"

"Yes Captain, I don't understand it either" Isane replied.

"Very well Isane, I will take his next round of vitals, go and get some rest, you look exhausted".

"Thank you Captain" and with that she left, shutting the door quietly behind her.

Grabbing a thermometer she placed it under Hitsugaya's armpit, while it was taking a reading she checked the screen on the machine he was hooked up to, that monitored both heart rate and spirit pressure levels. His heart rate had increased to a normal level for an unconscious person, and his spirit energy seemed to be recharging at a fast rate.

For a Shinigami there was three levels of awareness. The first was the Soul Society which they all lived in from day to day, very normal for them. However if they fell unconscious during battle, they would usually be aware of their inner world, where their Zanpakuto's spirit resides, they usually stayed there till the body was ready to awaken. However if the injuries are severe enough they can be unconscious to both the Soul Society and their inner world, this stage of unconsciousness would be a coma.

When Hitsugaya was brought in to fourth he was definitely in a coma. Now looking at his readings he seemed to be hovering somewhere between a coma and his inner world.

She finished taking the rest of the readings that needed to be done, when a sudden increase in his heart rate sent the steady beep-beep into a noisy stream of be-be-be-be-be-beep before finally settling back down to a steady rhythm once more.

Clearly Hitsugaya had just received some sort of shock somewhere in his mind, the initial jolt sending a surge of adrenaline through his system, which would pull his hazy mind back into a place where he would be more fully aware. Instead of hovering on the edges of a coma, it was safe to say he had found his way back to his inner world, most likely his Hyourimaru had guided him through the layers of his mind.

This was good news indeed, she was confident that he would fully awaken soon, most likely later on that day. Smiling she placed a hand on Hitsugaya's forehead, "Welcome back, Captain Hitsugaya" and with that she left the room.

* * *

Matsumoto was baffled, why did Ukitake suddenly feel the need to lock the office door, it had been unlocked the whole time they had been talking before.

"Captain Ukitake, why did you.."

"Shhh, don't say anything" he cut her off.

"But" she tried again.

"Please be quiet"

Matsumoto dropped silent 'just what the hell is going on here' she sighed inwardly.

Ukitake stood behind her and placed his hands on top of her shoulders, he leaned close to her ear "Do you trust me?" he whispered.

"Yes... but"

"Good, then trust me now". The quiet tone of his voice and the tickle of his breathe on her ear sent a pleasant shiver down her back.

Moving his hands off her shoulders he wrapped his arms around Matsumoto holding her close. She heard him muttering some kind of complex kido quietly, one of his hands was glowing a fiery red while the other a ghostly blue colour. She could feel his energy building quickly, almost urgently. The energy around him peaked and he threw his arms wide, as he did this a purple bubble of kido expanded out surrounding them protectively like a shell.

He put his arms around her waist and guided her over to the corner and stopped, she was impressed to see, that the bubble moved with them, keeping them in its centre.

Keeping his voice low, he finally spoke "Tell me Rangiku-chan, did you feel that foreign reiatsu signature?" he had come to stand by her side now, but his arms were spread wide, pouring a steady flow of his energy into maintaining the kido bubble.

"What foreign reiatsu signature? I didn't feel a thing" she replied.

"The foreign reiatsu signature that is now standing right outside the door"

"Can it sense us?" she asked a tight knot of apprehension settling in her stomach.

"No, this kido bubble acts like a shield if your inside, it prevents others from detecting your spirit pressure, it also appears invisible from the outside and has the added bonus of being sound proof" he explained.

"I've never heard of any kido like that before, is it even legal?" Ukitake blushed slightly.

"I will explain in a bit, just watch for now, whatever it is that's out there, is trying to get in".

They both dropped silent, even though Ukitake said his bubble was soundproof, they wasn't going to take any chances. Matsumoto was expecting the door to be blown open at any minute, she wasn't expecting however for black smoke to drift under the door.

A minute later there was a human shaped creature made of the blackest smoke, so black it looked almost solid, with a white mask for a face with the letters D.A printed on its forehead.

"What the hell is that!" Matsumoto looked at Ukitake and was shocked to see that he had gone horribly pale and had sweat pouring down his face, whatever pressure the creature had, it was taking its toll on Ukitake who was quickly losing his strength maintaining the barrier.

"Captain Ukitake! Are you OK?" she gasped in a hushed whisper, he looked over to her and reached his hand out to her, she took it and he pulled her to him.

"Stand behind me Rangiku-chan, and hold on tight, just in case things get rough."

She hid behind his back peeping over his shoulder, and threaded her arms around his waist. The creature was prowling around the office like it was looking for something.

So far it hadn't shown any awareness that they was there, so far Ukitake's barrier seemed to be holding up, Ukitake however wasn't holding up so well. Matsumoto could hear his chest rattle every time he breathed in and out.

His kido barrier momentarily fluttered, and the creature snapped its face in their direction, and began stalking towards them. It stopped about four feet away and crouched down like a cat waiting to pounce on the mouse. Watching their corner.

"Rangiku-chan, what I'm about to do next may feel a bit uncomfortable" he moved his arms so they were both out straight in front of him, "But we need to get this thing out of here fast, just hold on tight".

She didn't get time to ask what he was planning, his spirit energy grew immense making her gasp for breath, crushing her, making her head swim and break out in a sweat. The kido barrier shrank in size, until it had compressed down to mere inches away from their bodies, she could hear the shell crackling ominously close to her ear, straining against the mounting pressure it was having to contain. She felt her legs go weak, her arms were frozen around Ukitake's waist in a death grip.

Then she felt her whole body lurch forward, as Ukitake pushed everything he had gathered outwards. The immense pressure exploding out like a bomb. The creature disintegrated instantly, it's white mask dropping to the floor with a clatter, the office windows shattered raining shards everywhere, the couch and table were flung a few feet across the room, the captains desk toppled over and two walls blew out causing a cloud of dust and debris to engulf them.

Matsumoto sunk to the floor, all strength drained away, Ukitake was on all fours giving over to a coughing fit the dust cloud had triggered.

All throughout the Seireitei everybody felt the unmistakable heavy pressure of Captain Ukitake like a shock-wave.

* * *

It was that light again... He remembered it from before, only this time it didn't hurt his eyes so much.

'I wonder if that voice is here again too'.

"Master" the familiar deep voice replied.

He felt relieved hearing that voice again 'I wish I could see the owner of that voice'.

"Then open your eyes Master".

"But all I can see is this light" he replied.

"I see" the deep voice paused "Try this Master, close your eyes, then tell me what you see".

"Huh... OK" he did has he was told "I see nothing, its dark".

"Very good, now I want you to breathe, deep and calmly, and clear your mind" the voice instructed.

"OK I feel pretty calm now"

"Good Master, you will need to be calm for this next step".

"Tell me what I need to do".

"Slowly cant to 10 and open your eyes, Master"

"That's it?" he was surprised.

"Give it a shot Master"

"Here goes, 1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10!"

"Open your eyes Master!"

He cracked his eyes open slowly, only seeing blue he decided to open them fully, and came face to face with a Giant Ferocious, Serpentine Dragon!

Its eyes were a deep ruby red and it had razor sharp fangs for teeth that he had bared at him, grinning manically. Sending a huge jolt of fear and shock through his body.

"Master!" Bellowed the dragon in that deep rumble of his.

He did what any normal person would do in his position.

He screamed like a little girl.


	8. Chapter 8

Someone To Lean On Chapter 8

Hitsugaya was sat crossed legged upon a frozen boulder, in the middle of this vast frozen landscape. He had his arms tucked up his sleeves, resting across his chest. His eyes were focused on the only other occupant of this barren place, and was glaring death daggers at it, pure cold fury was the only emotion in his teal eyes.

The occupant in question was of course Hyourimaru, the most wise, majestic and powerful snow/ice type Zanpakuto. Also the most idiotic, wretched beast he ever had the misfortune to meet. Who right at this moment was laughing shamelessly at him!

So far he had been giving the massive ice dragon, the cold harsh silent treatment, glaring unamused at him, acting just like the block of ice he was accused of being.

"You should have seen your face Master!" he banged his massive clawed foot on the ground several times, sending vibrating tremors across the ground, which Hitsugaya could feel while sitting on his boulder. His whole body shaking uncontrollably with his laughter.

"Hyourimaru" he said warningly.

"And then when you screamed like a little girl" he used his massive tail to wipe at his ruby red eyes, which Hitsugaya was pissed to see had tears sparkling like diamonds there.

"HYOURIMARU!" he was ignored once again. By his own Zanpakuto!

He got to his feet and jumped down off the boulder, turning his back he stormed away, walking with no particular destination in mind, he just wanted to get away from that stupid dragon.

"Master where are you going?" Hyourimaru roared in that deep rumble of his.

Hitsugaya ignored him, walking faster, his scowl deepening on his face.

"Master, I was only having a joke with you".

"..."

Hyourimaru had caught up to him and was walking by his side. "I was only trying to get you to loosen up a bit, you know help my Master out"

"..."

"How long are you planning on giving me the silent treatment Master?"

"..."

Quick as lightening Hyourimaru grabbed Hitsugaya with his tail and hoisted him up into mid-air, he brought him around to face him, so their eyes were level. Hitsugaya although he was suspended upside down, high up in the air by just one ankle wasn't fazed by it. He still had his arms in his sleeves folded across his chest, and a death glare in his eyes.

As soon has he had gotten over the initial shock of seeing Hyourimaru inches away from his face earlier, and realised that it wasn't some deranged beast about to take a bite out of him, but was in fact his Zanpakuto spirit smiling in greeting, although Hyourimaru smiling in greeting and grinning manically looked pretty much identical. He had stopped screaming immediately, but the damage had been done and Hyourimaru was teasing him mercilessly for it now.

He was embarrassed beyond words, but he shoved that to the back of his mind, he needed answers from the giant ice dragon, but getting his attention when he was laughing like an idiot had been proving impossible. Walking away from him and ignoring him always worked like a charm.

"Master" the ice dragon snorted, shooting steam out his nostrils that blew into Hitsugaya's face ruffling his hair. "Forgive me, I was concerned about you, every time you showed signs of coming to, you would slip away from me again".

Hitsugaya's eyes softened slightly at the dragons words "Enough, say no more Hyourimaru" he finally spoke.

"Master not furious at me any more?"

"I'm still mad at you, but I need your help, I need answers, answers that I'm not going to get if I carry on ignoring you".

"Harsh Master" he replied in a hurt tone, completely faked of course.

"Hyourimaru" he warned.

"Very well, what is the last thing you remember before you ended up here?"

"Hyourimaru" he replied

"Master?"

"Do you mind putting me down now?" he was beginning to get an headache from the blood rushing to his head from being dangled upside down.

"Sorry" The dragon plopped him back down on his usual boulder, Hitsugaya sat crossed legged on it once again, making himself comfy, and Hyourimaru lay down in front of him so their eyes were on the same level, and wrapped his tail around Hitsugaya protectively, it was the usual custom when he came to his inner world to gain advise from his Zanpakuto. "Lets start from the beginning Master, what is your name?"

He rolled his eyes exasperated, dumb dragon.

"Answer it Master" rumbled Hyourimaru.

Fine he wanted an answer he was going to get one "I am Toushiro Hitsugaya, Captain of Squad 10 of the Gotei 13, I'm considered a genius and a child prodigy, I'm the youngest person ever to gain the rank of Captain" he paused for breathe the dragon nodded his head along with every correct fact his master rounded off "I'm the wielder of Hyourimaru the strongest snow/ice type Zanp.." Hyourimaru puffed his chest out in pride at this bit nodding vigorously "who is also the most stupidly idiotic and sarcastically dumb creature I've ever had the misfortune to meet" he finally finished and was amused to find Hyourimaru still nodding along in agreement.

"MASTER!" he growled out when he registered that Hitsugaya had tricked him, "That is mean even for your standards".

"But true, and now I believe we are even, I'm not mad at you any more and now I do forgive you".

"Very well" huffed Hyourimaru blowing steam into Hitsugaya's face once again "What do you need my help with, despite your head injuries your memories seem to be fine".

"I know who I am, I know what I am, I know who I'm suppose to know, I just don't know what happened to me, to land up unconscious in my own inner world".

"Tell me Toushiro, what is the last thing you remember doing?" Hyourimaru asked, finally being serious.

* * *

When Ukitake felt his coughing fit finally die down, he sat back on his heels so he was kneeling more comfortably, doing some deep breathing techniques. He tried to gather his racing thoughts, the creature that had just sneaked under the door had obviously been searching for something or someone. It only managed to detect them in the room, because his hold on the barrier had slipped momentarily when his spirit energy dipped. It was that split second that had announced their presence in the corner to the creature, and it had reacted. It didn't attack them as such, but he assumed that was its intentions. Ukitake cursed his luck, he was hoping to observe it some, maybe it would give them some clues has to what happened to Hitsugaya last night.

What worried him most was that its pressure had an artificial feel to it, and before it entered the room it was very faint and he could have easily missed it. He was sure whatever the thing was; had been created, most likely its purpose was for stealth.

Which led him to the question, who could have created it and why did it sneak in the squad 10 Captains office, and is it possible that Hitsugaya had en-counted a similar thing last night? He knew whatever the young Captain had fought was still trapped in the ice prison, only he could release it. That thought left an unpleasant feeling in his stomach, there could more of these things stalking around Seireitei undetected.

Then there was the issue with the mask it wore, whoever had made it, wanted it to look like an hollow, but why would they bother marking it D.A and what the hell did it stand for? There was too many questions for Ukitake's liking and no where near as many answers. He vaguely remembered the creature disintegrating when he had to force his spirit energy outwards before the kido barrier collapsed on him, and was pretty sure its mask had dropped to the floor, he was about to go searching for it when he heard Matsumoto begin to stir.

He went over to her and rolled her gently onto her back, her eyes fluttered open but they had a dazed look about them. "Rangiku-chan can you hear me?" he asked in his low raspy voice.

"You know Captain Ukitake, you could melt chocolate with that sexy voice of yours" she giggled playfully.

Ukitake let out a small sigh, he helped her up to her feet, and held onto her, she was a bit dazed and weak on her legs, she had nearly been crushed by his own spirit pressure.

He rested his hands on the small of her back just in case she lost her balance "Are you OK? I'm sorry things got a bit rough back there"

She giggled again "You can be rough with me any time you want Captain" she placed her hands on his chest and leaned into him, squashing her famously large assets into him, Ukitake blushed as he felt an unwanted feeling in his lower regions.

He always used to laugh when Hitsugaya complained about his Lieutenant's 'Sexual harassment' antics, but right now he couldn't help but sympathize with him. He looked down and regretted it, getting a close up view of her cleavage. He put his hands on her shoulders and stepped back, giving him some space, did she hit her head or something he wondered or was it because she really was that dazed.

"Lieutenant Matsumoto, are you OK?" he asked more formally, now wasn't the time for her playful flirty attitude. He noticed that she blinked a few times and seemed to become aware of who, what and where.

"Captain Ukitake" she sounded surprised and when she realised she was leaning her hands on his chest she dropped them immediately and pulled away "Yes I'm fine Sir"

Ukitake let out a silent sigh of relief, he stepped over to where Hitsugaya's desk had stood previously and rummaged through the pile of debris and found the mask he was looking for. It was cracked down the middle and where the A should have been, it had been chipped away leaving only the D. Running his hand over the letter he noticed that it had a tiny indentation and a very small lens of some sort, the black print of the letter disguising it perfectly. Odd.

He placed it inside the inner pocket of his haori, he will keep quiet about it for now, him and Shunsui were going to do some discreet investigating later. He took a long sweep around the rest of the office, it was trashed 'Forgive me Toushiro' he would get it righted before the boy knew any better.

He looked over to Matsumoto who had her hands firmly placed on her hips, glaring at him "Something wrong Lieutenant?" he managed to keep his face neutral but inside he was amused at her pouting.

"You destroyed my Captains office!" she shot back "He's going to think it was me"... "I'm so dead"

"Don't fret about it, it will be sorted before he knows any better" using his famous smile to reassure her.

"By the way Captain Ukitake" she pouted at him " You never did answer my question before".

"What question Rangiku-chan?" This threw him out for a minute.

"You never did get around to telling me why you came to visit me".

"Oh" he grinned at her "No I didn't"

"Well..." she prompted him for the second time that day.

"Right... Well I just stopped by to see if you was holding up OK, it was a shock to us all finding Toushiro in that state" he fixed his eyes on her again.

"And...?" She could sense there was more to come.

"There is a Captain's meeting shortly, to discuss the events of last night, the Head-Captain has also requested your presence, you are the last person who saw Captain Hitsugaya before the attack, he would like to ask you a few questions".

"What times the meeting?" she tossed her hair over her shoulder and stretched.

Ukitake looked at the clock on the wall behind where Hitsugaya's desk usually stood, it had somehow managed to survive the blast of his energy. "Now" he said calmly.

Matsumoto's eyes went wide, Ukitake grinned at her, they both stepped into Shunpo at top speed and abandoned the office.


	9. Chapter 9

Someone To Lean On Chapter 9

They had managed to get to the meeting hall ten minutes after the scheduled start time. They needn't have worried too much about being late, after Ukitake had taken his place and Kyouraku waved Matsumoto over to stand next to him, he saw that they were still waiting on Kurotsuchi to arrive.

Ukitake noticed uncomfortably that he was on the receiving end of a few curious glances, of course he thought, the whole of the Seireitei would have felt his blast of reiatsu earlier. He would have to come up with a damn good excuse to explain why it happened, it was a strong blast but there was no way he could mention using that kido barrier.

The reason being, it was highly illegal, very dangerous to use, highly unstable even in the most adept kido masters hands, and if it collapsed which it did 90% of the time, it went with an incredible boom usually taking the Shinigami who created it along with it. To prevent the misuse of it in situations such has spying or assassinations for example, central 46 had prohibited it hundreds of years ago. Even though he had used it purely to protect Matsumoto, he had just destroyed the office in the process. Like he said, he needed to come up with a damn good excuse, The Head-Captain wouldn't be fooled so easily, the only other people in this room who would know about that particular kido was Shunsui and Unohana. He looked at both of them, and they both had knowing looks in their eyes. He was in deep trouble.

* * *

Matsumoto was feeling uncomfortable having to attend a Captain's meeting, it wasn't that she felt like she didn't belong there, it was the prospect of having to report the last few hours of her time together with her Captain.

She felt slightly more at ease standing next to Kyouraku, she had gotten to know him over the years when visiting Nanao and found that he was a good drinking companion. With his tall burly frame next to her, she felt a bit more shielded from the piercing gazes of the other Captains, opposite her was Ukitake who gave her an encouraging smile that said 'Don't worry'. She noticed before that he and Kyouraku seemed to be having some sort of a silent conversation, it was quite fascinating to watch seeing all the different facial expressions pass between them. Since they had finished the exchange Kyouraku then seemed to be rummaging inside his robes for some reason.

Truth be told, she was getting somewhat impatient for this meeting to begin, from what she could gather they were awaiting on the arrival of Captain Kurotsuchi, the Chief Scientist of the research and development department. She felt her Soul phone vibrate in her robes, alerting her to a message received. Discreetly she saw it was from Kyouraku. She glanced up and caught his eye and he gave a quick wink and looked straight ahead again.

Curious she read the message and shot her eyes up to look at Ukitake, he merely gave the tiniest of nods and then looked away. The message had been short and simple.

_You was with me in Squad 8 during the 'Incident'_ _Follow Juu's Lead! _

She snapped her phone shut again and put it back in her robes, clearly she was missing something here and it bothered her, but she trusted both Ukitake and Kyouraku, and felt that they did have her best interests in mind.

* * *

The meeting had finally got under way and each Captain was giving a brief report on their squads actions, Captain Soifon had just finished, Matsumoto had only been half listening but she had mentioned something about a batch of special Ops Hell butterflies being misplaced. Captain's of Squads eleven, seven, eight and six had all delivered their report and brought up any concerns they may have. Squads three, five and nine were still without Captain's.

Next to give their report was Captain Unohana, Matsumoto actually gave her full attention, hoping to catch any information about her Captains condition. Matsumoto was disappointed however when she had finished and stepped back into line, but was glad when Head-Captain Yamamoto asked her about Hitsugaya's condition.

She mentioned how his wounds had been severe, but had recovered well from the hypothermia, and had come out of the coma stage and that she expected he would be awake fully soon. Her only concern though, was the severity of his head wounds and that maybe he could have some trouble with his memory.

Satisfied with Unohana's report, Yamamoto then moved onto Ukitake, looking over to him Matsumoto noticed he seemed to be staring into space, at a point just over her shoulder.

* * *

Ukitake had only been half listening while his fellow Captains gave their weekly briefing reports. He had been running through his mind whether or not to mention the incident in the Squad 10 office, he had his theories about what the thing was and why it had been there, but that was the problem, they were only theories with no solid facts or evidence to back him up, he had the mask in his pocket of course, but he needed to do a little digging around for more information, something that he and Shunsui were pretty good at.

He was sure of one thing though, he had saved Matsumoto's life, he didn't want to think what would have happened if she had still been napping on the couch alone. It was a grim thought, but he was certain she could have been murdered. Another question with no answer to it, why would someone want to kill her? Just like why would someone want to attack Hitsugaya? Was it just a coincidence that they were both from Squad 10 or something more sinister?

Too many questions and not enough answers.

He looked over at Matsumoto, she seemed a little uncomfortable amongst his fellow Captains, she was using Shunsui has a shield, she stood with her arms in front of her clasped together in front of her stomach, not really knowing what to do with them. The sunlight streaming through the thin slats of the window landed on her head highlighting her beautifully long fiery locks, which flowed over her shoulders in waves. Her eyes were sparkling sky blue orbs, that always held a glint of mischief which he was quite fond of. Her usual pink scarf draped over her shoulders that ran down her ample chest and her customary necklace that nestled its end somewhere in her cleavage.

She really was beautiful. The way she pouted at him, it sent a rush of warmth through his body every time. He would never admit that to anyone though. Oh god why was he even having these thoughts about her now. She was even looking at him now, grinning, why was she grinning at him?

He was brought back to his senses rather painfully by receiving an elbow to his ribs courtesy of Kenpachi Zaraki. His attention snapped back to the meeting instantly and found nine pairs of eyes upon him.

"Captain Ukitake, are you still with us?" boomed the voice of Yamamoto.

Had he really just spaced out that long thinking about Matsumoto? Was he really that protective of her? "My apologies, Head-Captain" he gave a little bow of respect.

"Your report please Captain Ukitake" Yamamoto simply stated.

He launched into his report after a quick glance at Shunsui who had pulled his hat down hiding his eyes, but he knew full well that he was hiding his laughter. He still hadn't thought what to say about how he had managed to blow up Hitsugaya's Office.

He finished his report about his squad and stepped back into line, he decided he wasn't going to mention about the Squad 10 incident or about the creature that had visited, not yet at least.

"One more thing Captain Ukitake" Yamamoto began, here it was thought Ukitake. Luckily he had an answer prepared that would spare him a bit of time "Sometime ago a very powerful shock-wave spread throughout the Seireitei, it was your reiatsu signature, plus I've been inundated with reports that the Squad 10's Office has been blown up and two exterior walls blasted open, would you care to explain your actions?" barked the Head-Captain.

The room was eerily silent, you could hear a pin drop. Every eye was on him, waiting for his answer all curious, with the same thought, what would possess the kindest Captain amongst them to just randomly blow up another Captain's office, for no apparent reason.

He took a deep breath and hoped like hell this answer would suffice "You shall have a full written report about it, on your desk first thing in the morning, Sir".

The Head-Captain sat back in his chair, the following silence stretched on, and on. Ukitake noticed that Shunsui's mouth was curled up in a suppressed grin.

Then finally "Lieutenant Matsumoto, Where was you at the time of this incident" he barked out.

"Sir, I was at Squad 8 at the time" she replied following Shunsui's advice.

Another stretch of long silence followed, Ukitake hadn't realised he had been holding his breath till the Head-Captain replied "Very well, I shall look forward to your report Captain Ukitake" and he released it again in relief.

The Head-Captain then moved onto Kurotsuchi, but before the Captain could begin, a hell butterfly fluttered into the room chiming happily to announce its presence. Every eye followed its progress has it landed gracefully on Captain Unohana's slender finger, she listened to the message then replied "Very well Isane, Thank you" then the butterfly flew off again exiting the room.

"My apologies for the interruption Head-Captain, I have just been informed by Isane that Captain Hitsugaya has just regained consciousness"

"That is good news indeed, do you need to return to fourth?"

"Yes, Head-Captain" she replied politely.

"Very well you are dismissed" with a bow of respect she headed towards the doors to leave but stopped in front of Matsumoto.

"Lieutenant, When you are finished here, feel free to come along to fourth, I'm sure Captain Hitsugaya would appreciate your presence" and with that she was gone.

* * *

This meeting needed to hurry up and finish, Matsumoto thought irritated, So far Kurotsuchi was taking a painfully long time delivering his report, over the usual boring crap that came out of Squad 12. There was absolutely nothing of interest, just a bunch of boring facts and figures, she really despised the science department. Keeping her away from Toushiro it was just plain cruel.

She had stopped paying attention after the first sentence that left Captain Kurotsuchi's mouth, until something snagged her attention. When Yamamoto had asked him if he had any concerns he had launched into a tirade.

"Its a complete disgrace" he declared loudly "Someone has broken into a highly important storage room, I keep all my old inventions in there, ones that failed or didn't work has intended".

"And your point?" Shunsui questioned clearly bored out his brain like Matsumoto.

"Some stuff has been stolen!" he shot back.

"What kind of stuff? And are you sure it was stolen and not merely misplaced?" Shunsui tossed out, not missing a beat.

"Are you implying that my Squad is disorganized?" He replied hotly "Of course it was stolen!"

"Captain Kurotsuchi" Yamamoto barked "Calm yourself, what items have been misplaced? If we have an idea maybe they will show up else where, if not then we,ll look into the possibility of theft".

"I created some training tools to help in preparation for the winter war three years ago, naturally they didn't work how I needed them too, so was forced to shut down this particular experiment" he began.

"Well that's wonderfully informative, my brain is over loading with the complex information" Shunsui replied sarcastically.

"I am not finished yet!"

"Then continue Kurotsuchi" The head-Captain was getting impatient himself.

"They work similar to the artificial hollows I create for the Shinigami Academy, only that these particular pieces were designed to go up against captain class Shinigami, to give them something to train against that was of a similar level to the Espada."

"You said that they didn't work how you intended them to, was there a fault with them?" questioned Ukitake.

"Two faults actually, its common knowledge that its best to train against something slightly stronger then yourself, in order to get better. These fake Espada, I created them to gauge the level of its opponent then adjust its pressure to be a level or so higher, however no matter how many configurations I tried it would always match its opponent then level out. It was frustrating so in the end I scrapped the experiment".

"Ah I see, and what is the second fault?" Ukitake seemed interested now.

"It requires a pilot that has excellent skills at kido and a good supply of spirit energy to animate it, to make it usable. In a prolonged fight against a Captain the pilot would simply be drained of energy before it even got to fight seriously, it would be a very short fight indeed for the Captain" Kurotsuchi finished his lecture and turned to the Head-Captain "I created three Head-Captain, and all three are unaccounted for, something as big as that doesn't just get misplaced and in the hands of amateurs can prove deadly" he finished throwing his hands up in the air to empathize his point.

"What exactly do these things look like?" added Soifon "It would make it easier to track down, I could put some men on to it".

"They look just like your everyday garden variety Hollow, black and a white mask." he supplied, annoyed.

"If you want your experiments back has badly as you do, maybe supply a bit more information?" questioned Shunsui. "Either way quit wasting any more of our time".

"Fine! They are black, have a smoky complexion that can solidify or vaporize at the pilot's will, they are soundless, can easily move around like ghosts, I designed them so they would emit hardly any reiatsu so they could tests Captains abilities in detection and responding to sneak attacks. I made it in the human form so it could also be used in hand-to-hand combat training purposes, it makes it perfect for stealth, I only bothered to add the standard hollow mask because the pilots needed, some way to see where they were going" he paused for a moment letting it sink in "The pilot isn't required to be nearby, he can be miles away, in a room somewhere, just has long has he has the kido Skills and the spirit energy to control it" he finally finished.

Matsumoto was looking at Ukitake wide eyed in horror, he met her gaze and they came to the same conclusion, that 'Hollow' in the office was no accident.

He just needed one more suspicion answered "So it looks human in shape, and has a smoky complexion and a white mask, are you sure there is no other defining feature?".

Kurotsuchi seemed deep in thought "Actually now that you mention it, they look exactly the same has my dummy hollows, so I had to mark them as Arrancar, pretty sure I labelled them as D.A, or maybe D.E for Espada, it was three years ago I don't remember all the details of my creations".

"Very well Captain Kurotsuchi, we shall look further into the matter" the Head-Captain glanced amongst all his Captains lined up and his eyes fell upon Matsumoto "And the final topic of this meeting, Lieutenant Matsumoto I just require you to answer a few questions"

"Yes Sir" she replied suddenly nervous.

"Exactly where was you when you last saw Captain Hitsugaya?"

"We had reached the Western gate, I departed shortly afterwards"

"What time did you leave him?"

"It was about 9:30pm"

"Did you detect anything unusual while out on patrol"

"No Sir"

"Did Captain Hitsugaya give any indication that he could sense anything unusual?"

She paused in her answer, there was that time when she asked him if something was wrong "Not that I can recall".

"What was the last thing he said to you before you parted ways?"

"We arranged to meet back at the office before the meeting was due to start, he told me if he hadn't arrived at the office by 10:45pm I was to go on ahead and that he would catch me up at the meeting".

"How did you reply to that?"

"I told him to take care"

"Did he make it an official order that you should return?"

Jeez what is it with these questions she wondered "Yes" she lied. She already felt guilty that she had left him, she didn't need anyone else telling her she had made the wrong choice leaving him alone.

He seemed to have finished with the rapid fire questions she took a moment to calm herself down.

"Very well Lieutenant, that is all, I'm satisfied you don't have any additional information to add to what we have already received, for now we,ll wait and see what fresh information we can gleam from Hitsugaya".

He banged his massive staff on the wooden floor "This meeting is over, Dismissed" and with that everyone started to file out.

"Captain Ukitake, Captain Kyouraku stay behind please" he ordered.

Captain Kyouraku placed his hand on Matsumoto's shoulder and whispered in her ear, "Go and wait in my office for me and Juu to return, Nanao will be there, she is expecting you" and with that he pulled away and joined Ukitake in front of Yamamoto.

Once the room was empty, and it was just the three of them Yamamoto gave a long sigh and spoke "Now cut the crap boys, I know you know something more is going on around here" he snapped his eyes on Ukitake "Juushiro I don't appreciate being lied to my face, something significant happened in Squad 10's Office you WILL tell me everything that happened, and leave nothing out... Shunsui I KNOW you are covering his back... Now explain yourselves you first Juushiro".

With no other choice Ukitake launch into to the whole story of what really happened.

* * *

Deep in the very lowest bowels of the vast library that the Seireitei boasted, a computer screen was playing out a video of the latest recordings received from the camera, that had been placed on the stolen Dummy Arrancar.

The watcher had been furious when they first watched the play back from the first video clip, it had recorded the small captains progress during his patrol, he was suppose to be patrolling alone, but his lieutenant was with him.

That wasn't part of the plan, however when the two parted ways the Watcher noted that they kissed... interesting.

Following along waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike Hitsugaya made the first move and attacked, eventually trapping the first D.A in Ice, and the camera stopped recording shortly after.

The second clip was a short one, the Watcher saw has they guided the second D.A into the squad 10 office via the gap under the door, at the time the Watcher had been dismayed to find the place empty, they had been sure the lieutenant would be there, not wanting to lose an opportunity, the Watcher decided to do some snooping.

After a few minutes a flicker caught their eye and it felt a brief brush of spirit energy putting the D.A on high alert.

The recording after a few minutes of nothing, then went to static before settling down with the camera facing the ceiling, the Watcher was angry their second stolen D.A had been destroyed, yet the camera had survived, a few minutes later a face appeared on the screen as the mask was lifted off the floor … Ukitake, in the background was the lieutenant, seems she had a protector, the Watcher also recalled it was Ukitake who helped to find and recover Hitsugaya. Then the camera died, it had been too badly damaged.

The Watcher only had one more D.A to use, they had to get it right this time. This time Hitsugaya will die. This time Matsumoto will die. But first to succeed the Watcher had to remove the pillar of support. The Watchers next target had to be Ukitake, he must die too.


	10. Chapter 10

Hello, Im back with another Chapter, I would just like to say a big thankyou for all the reviews, and I hope im doing ok with this story so far. ^_^b

* * *

Someone To Lean On Chapter 10

The darkness was all that surrounded him, and he didn't understand why, when only moments before he was sitting upon a boulder talking. Who was he talking to again?

"Master" It was that deep voice again, from before.

He knew that voice, what did he say his name was, Hyou...Hyouri...

"Hyourimaru!" he called aloud recognition suddenly dawning. "What's happening to me? What is this blackness, why does it feel like I'm slipping away?"

"Try to relax Master, I think your just merely waking up, regaining consciousness" the voice supplied.

"Why did I just forget you for a moment there?" he really felt confused.

"When you got injured I believe you hurt your head, I think it's affecting your memories" sighed the deep voice. "While you have been in your inner world you have been fine, but I'm afraid when you return things will be different".

"What do you mean, I was fine in my inner world?" he demanded.

"Its your soul Master, everything is stored here" the voice was starting to fade "I'm afraid the closer you get to waking, the quicker your memories will slip away".

"What! Will I forget everything?" he yelled.

"Only you will know when you wake up" the voice replied it was very faint now. "Follow the light Master, it will guide you back".

"WAIT! DONT LEAVE ME! I NEED YOU!"

"I'm... goi...where... illy...apart...ou" The voice snickered.

"What did you say!" he called again.

"Don't …..rry, you wont ….get …. I won... uo" the voice was barely audible now.

He didn't like this, he was completely alone now the voice had gone, the heavy silence was deafening, it felt like he was just floating there in the darkness. He didn't like this. He never did find out from the voice what he needed to know. What was it that he needed to know again...?

He felt a tug somewhere around his waist and felt like he was being steadily pulled forwards. That's when he heard it, very faint, it sounded like another voice, "...tain …..ugaya" it sounded like it was at the opposite end of a very large empty room.

He seemed to be moving forwards, and it felt like he was speeding up, heading nearer to that voice. The voice seemed to be getting clearer and stronger the closer he got to it.

A light appeared in front of him, it seemed like a tiny dot, but rapidly grew in size, he was now speeding towards the light at an alarming pace.

"Captain Hitsugaya, can you hear me?" The voice was low and soft.

Was he Captain Hitsugaya? He wondered. He became aware of several things happening all at once. First the light completely engulfed him, followed by an explosion of different noises, beeping was the more prominent of them all.

The next thing was pain, unbearable pain, back, front, head and knee. So much pain, it was too much for him.

He cracked an eye open, the light was too bright, it hurt his eyes, he blinked a few times and saw a concerned face hovering over him "Can you hear me?" she asked.

He tried to reply but his throat felt raw, he tried for a little nod but his head felt so heavy and painful, but the tall woman seemed to understand.

"I imagine you are in a lot of pain, on a scale of one to ten, one being mild discomfort and ten being unbearable, how would you rate it?" she enquired calmly.

"Fi... fi... fifteen" he finally managed to get out.

"I'm going to give you a dose of morphine OK, it will help with the pain" she injected the pain relief into the I.V he noticed was attached to his left hand. "I'm just leaving the room for a short while, but I will be back" she smiled reassuringly at him.

He closed his eyes, he was feeling too confused and the pain was unbearable, he thought he could feel the morphine kicking in and felt his eyes going heavy, he didn't fight it, he wanted to go to sleep, just for a bit longer.

* * *

Yamamoto was sat in his chair, his full attention on Ukitake glaring at him. He had just confessed the real reason why Hitsugaya's office had been destroyed, illegal kido he wasn't amused. After Ukitake had finished reporting everything that had happened from when they went to search for Hitsugaya, to the office prowler, and then his suspicions about Kurotsuchi's lost experiments and the possibility that someone was targeting the Squad 10 leadership, he looked at each of his boys while he processed the information.

He was astounded, not because of the possibility of an assassin roaming the place, but that it was Ukitake that was the trouble maker this time around. It was usually Kyouraku dragging them into trouble, especially during their Academy days, he was always dragging his best friend along with him, Ukitake was usually only guilty by association.

What to do, What to do..

"Shunsui, what do you have to say for yourself ?"

"Yama-Jii! I had nothing to do with this!" he whined the indignation clear in his voice "Your always quick to assume its me causing trouble".

"Silence Boy! I saw your silent conversation with Juushiro before the meeting began, I know full well you made the suggestion to cover for him by telling Matsumoto to say she was in squad 8 with you" he looked between them again "You knew that I would query Matsumoto on her whereabouts"

"Wait how did you...?" Shunsui began.

"Decipher your conversation?" Yamamoto cut off "I've known for years how you two communicate, it wasn't difficult, you developed it for the sole reason to hide your true intentions from me".

Kyouraku and Ukitake shared a glance, how the hell did he figure it out, and how long had he known about it.

"See, there you go again, you both wondering how I figured it out, and just how long I've known about it".

"No fair Yama-Jii" Kyouraku whined looking to Ukitake once more, Damn they were going to need a new code.

"I've known about it since you were back in the Academy, and don't even think about developing a new code, I assure you, if you do, I will figure it out".

"Damn he's got us there Shunsui" Ukitake replied.

"Enough" Yamamoto barked "We,ll assume that it was one of Kurotsuchi's experiments that attacked Hitsugaya, hopefully now he is awake he can shed some light on the matter".

"If he remembers anything Yama-Jii" Offered Kyouraku "You heard Retsu, he may have some memory trouble, we saw his head wounds, they looked nasty".

"We,ll cross that bridge when we get to it" he turned his gaze to Ukitake "If your theory is correct Juushiro, and Lieutenant Matsumoto was the next intended target, its safe to assume whoever stole the experiments will most likely try to strike again."

"I'm placing her under your protection" he paused for breath before continuing "Seeing has you have spare living quarters, and an unused desk in your office I'm temporarily assigning her to your squad, till this matter is resolved"

"I will arrange for all Squad 10's paperwork to be sent to your Division, consider it punishment for destroying another Captain's office, lying, using illegal kido and withholding important information from me" he finished.

"Yes Sir" Ukitake replied relieved.

"We also need to find out who stole those experiments, and who is piloting them" Yamamoto stared off into space for minute "You definitely destroyed the one in the office Juushiro?"

"Yes Sir, and I believe Hitsugaya has a second trapped in that ice prison, but only he can release it".

"Two down, one to go" Kyouraku added in "Only one more to worry about, one thing that bothers me though".

"Go on, Shunsui" Yamamoto prompted.

"During the meeting when Hitsugaya was fighting, we all felt that foreign reiatsu, yet Kurotsuchi commented that he hoped he kept whatever he was fighting alive, for research. Yet any Captain in that room would have picked up it was artificial, surely he would have recognized it has his own creation?"

"Maybe he did Shunsui" Ukitake spoke up "He probably put two and two together and checked if his experiments were still there right after that first meeting, he only mentioned they had gone missing in the second meeting, besides if Hitsugaya had died, it would have been seen has murder and could have indicated him".

"Another matter to look into, Boys, I'm trusting you to get to the bottom of this situation, investigate what you need to but remain discreet, ensure Matsumoto's safety, I shall inform Retsu that Hitsugaya could be in further danger of attack" he paused for a moment "And be cautious yourselves the pilot is amongst us, that much is obvious, its a guarantee whoever they are will be watching closely, I don't want them aware that we are onto them" he stood from his chair "That is all for now" and with that he walked out the room leaving them both staring a little dumbfounded.

* * *

He was floating light has a feather, slowly drifting up through the layers of hazy thoughts and feelings. He liked this feeling, it was peaceful and relaxing. He could feel a cool rush of air flowing gently onto his nose and mouth, he didn't know what was causing that but he liked it, it felt nice.

He cracked an eye open slowly, he seemed to be in a dimly lit room there was no harsh light this time, which he was grateful for. He felt a dull ache in his head and his eyes felt puffy and sore. Hearing movement he opened his other eye and tried to look around for the source of the noise, but has soon has he moved his head slightly the room started spinning causing him to groan.

A face came into view, hovering over him, like before only this time it was different, a face that radiated warmth and kindness, almost motherly. He recognized that face, but had trouble putting a name to it. She reached over and pulled the oxygen mask off his face and placed it to one side, so that was the nice feeling from before.

The lady placed a hand on his forehead "How are you feeling?" she asked concerned.

How indeed he thought, he remembered when he last woke up, the unbearable pain, the explosion of noise, the too bright light, compared to that he wasn't feeling has bad as last time, he blinked a few times to clear his swirling vision, his throat felt raw, like he hadn't drank in days. Very thirsty, he tried to voice that he was thirsty but it came out hoarse and gravelly.

The lady squinted trying to hear what he said, then made the connection, she held up a little beaker of water with a straw in it "Would you like a drink?" he nodded his head not wanting to try speech just yet "Just sip it, nice and slowly". He drained the cup with a satisfied sigh.

"Does that feel better?" asked the lady. He responded with a nod of approval.

"Are you in any pain?" she asked again.

He thought about it for a minute, comparing it to last time, he did feel some pain, not has unbearable as before, his chest and back felt like a dull ache and his knee felt sore. His head however, felt like someone was hammering at it, constantly.

"Yes" he managed to get out.

"Is it all over or in a specific place, does it hurt more in one place then it does another?" she asked patiently "Take your time".

"Different places"... "Back and chest ache"... "Knee sore"..."Head killing me... hammering"

"I see, is it your head that's the worst?"

"Yes"

"OK, I'm going to give you some more pain relief, it works pretty fast, and hopefully you will feel up to answering a few simple questions for me".

He just nodded his head, he was feeling a bit confused "Would you like some more water?" she had the beaker in her hand again.

"Please" He sipped slowly on the water, he could feel his pounding head steadily calm down. A few minutes later, the lady perched on the side of the bed, with a clipboard in hand.

"You have been badly injured, the more prominent injury is to your head" she began.

His eyes went wide and he lifted his right hand to his head and flinched when his hand met thick bandaging wrapped entirely around it. She gave him a kind smile.

"I need to ask some basic questions to determine if it has affected your memory at all, do you feel up to it?" he gave her a little nod of confirmation.

"OK, just take your time with each answer, its OK if your not sure about any" she paused and saw him give another nod of understanding "Firstly what is your name?"

He had to think a little about it, but it soon came to him "Toushiro?" he asked a little hesitant.

"Very good" she wrote something on the clipboard "And do you know where you are?"

He glanced around the room "Infirmary... this must be ….. Squad four?" the lady nodded again.

"Do you know who I am?" she asked.

He had recognized her face immediately, but the name wouldn't come to him. "I recognize you" he squinted his eyes in thought "Your..." it was on the tip of his tongue "... Uno...hana?" he questioned. Yes it was Captain Unohana, he was sure of it now "Captain Unohana".

"Very Good Toushiro" she smiled kindly "I will let you rest for now, its possible your memory is a bit hazy because of your injuries" she stood up and placed the clipboard back on the table "But you are also on some strong pain medication too" she stood over him looking at his face, he winced slightly when she placed her hands either side of his face "A little bit sore?" she asked.

"Yes" he let out a soft sigh.

"OK, I want you to rest now, and I will ask a few more questions when you wake up again, sometimes its easier to recall things after a good rest" He nodded his head again in understanding, Unohana walked to the door gave him a smile and left.

He fell asleep again within minutes.


	11. Chapter 11

Hello back again with another Chapter, again thankyou to all the people who have left a review so far. Special thanks to bandgirlz for pointing out my little spelling error, I knew something did,nt seem right when I read through the chapters before posting them, but i couldnt see for looking ^_^b now I know what it was, thats been driving me crazy. Enough from me, now onto the story Happy Reading!

* * *

Someone To Lean On Chapter 11

Matsumoto was feeling impatient, very very impatient. The meeting ended two hours ago, and Kyouraku had specifically told her to return here and wait, and it was killing her. She needed to see Toushiro.

Quite a few times she thought 'To hell with waiting' I'm going, but as Nanao reminded her every time she tried to leave, Kyouraku had his reasons.

The office door swung open and the two men in question stepped into the room, she immediately jumped to her feet and bounded over to them. Ukitake held up his hand to stall any questions she may fire at him.

"I know your desperate to see Toushiro, and yes we are going to fourth next, but first we need to discuss something".

"But.." she tried to protest.

"Sit down Ran-chan, this is important" Kyouraku's tone for once was serious.

* * *

Unohana had been sat at her desk for some time, staring at the same lone file that she had left till last. She had long ago finished updating the files of the various Shinigami that had passed through the doors of the fourth for that day. The file in question belonged to Toushiro Hitsugaya.

The young Captain had first regained consciousness while she was attending the Captains meeting. Isane had reported that it had been a rough transition, he had awoken confused and in immense pain. Her Lieutenant had been forced to sedate him for a little while longer, so they could get his pain under control.

When she had returned from the meeting she had decided to stay by his side till he came around again, doing everything she could to make it a more comfortable experience for him. She also needed to see what his reactions were like once he was awake, to give her any indication if he had memory loss of any kind.

When he had woken up, he seemed to recognize her, and she asked him a few basic questions, it was good that he got them right, but he had to really think about his answers. That worried her.

She was pulled from her thoughts by a soft tap on her office door, "Yes, enter" looking over to the door Isane poked her head through.

"Sorry to disturb you Captain, but you asked me to let you know when Lieutenant Matsumoto arrived, also Captain Ukitake is accompanying her".

"Thank you Isane, would you escort them both here please".

"Yes, Captain" she closed the door and left.

Several minutes later Isane had returned showing Ukitake and Matsumoto into the office, she was about to leave when Unohana stopped her.

"Isane, can you check on Captain Hitsugaya and arrange some food for him, if he is awake please"

"Yes, Captain" she replied "Would you like me to take them files back?"

Unohana scooped up the files into a pile and handed them over to her "Thank you"

Unohana then turned her attention to Ukitake and Matsumoto who were now seated and comfortable, both of them had anxious expressions on their faces "Juushiro, Lieutenant, I know your both anxious to see Captain Hitsugaya, but before I take you to see him, I wanted to discuss a few things with you first".

"Is Toushiro all right?" Both Ukitake and Matsumoto asked at the same time.

Smiling her usual kind smile, she gave them the full run down on Hitsugaya's condition and injuries, and his reactions both times he had been awake, she left nothing out and when she had finished their twin looks of horror stared back at her.

"Of course the only way to fully determine the extent of his memory loss, is to have people who know him better to spend time with him, to see if he remembers certain events they have shared together" she paused as though she was considering something "Lieutenant Matsumoto, how close would you say you are with your Captain?"

"Um...well...I..." Matsumoto stuttered, not really sure how she should answer, she looked over to Ukitake to see if it would be a good idea to divulge her secret relationship.

"Rangiku-Chan, its OK, tell Retsu the truth, it will help Hitsugaya in the long run" he supplied understanding her hesitation.

"OK... We are incredibly close, we have been in a relationship for some time now" she placed a finger on her chin in thought "two years next month now that I think about it".

Unohana shared a knowing look with Ukitake, she gave a little nod but didn't comment further. Matsumoto noticed the exchange but decided to keep quiet, she didn't care right this moment what they may think about it.

"That's good, will the two of you be willing to help me determine just how much he knows and doesn't know?"

"Of course" they both chorused.

Unohana gave the pair of them specific instructions, to only ask a few simple questions each, that he should know the answers to and avoid mentioning him being attacked for now. She didn't want to press him too much and make him feel distressed.

"Very well, I will take you to see him now". With that Unohana stood up and led them out the office.

* * *

Hitsugaya was sat propped up by a pillow in his bed. He had woken up quite a bit ago alone in this room, his head throbbing painfully. He remembered Unohana had spoken to him before, mentioned that he had been badly injured. How it had happened he didn't even know, everything felt like a complete blank.

"Captain Hitsugaya, how are you feeling?"

Well not everything he mused, he knew his name was Toushiro Hitsugaya, he knew he was the Captain of squad 10 in the Gotei 13. He knew he was currently in the Fourth Division's Infirmary.

"Would you like anything to eat? I'm sure its been awhile since you last ate"

It didn't worry him too much that he was injured, it had happened several times in the past. What was worrying him though was the feeling that something very important to him was missing, he couldn't place his finger on what it was, he had been trying really hard to recall, but when he pressed it too much he would get a flash of pain in his head, almost blinding him.

It sure was frustrating, he had been trying to recall what the last thing was, he could remember doing, so far he had come up with nothing.

"Captain Hitsugaya can you hear me?"

Being injured as badly as he was, not being able to recall hardly anything, and feeling like a huge important chunk of himself was missing, he was feeling horribly vulnerable. Dare he admit it? That he felt very lost and was oddly lonely. It wasn't exactly what was missing, probably more like who was missing. But he mused to himself, who was this who?

He knew deep down whoever it was meant a lot to him, and not knowing who they were, was contributing to the lonely feeling he felt deep down inside of him, and in the back of his mind it felt too quiet, that quietness made him feel lost.

He was brought out of his musings by a shift of weight on the edge of his bed, and a warm hand placing itself on top of his own hands he had clasped together in his lap.

* * *

Ten minutes later, they had reached the short corridor that led to Toushiro's room. Matsumoto had to stop herself several times on the way, from complaining about the steady pace of the two Captains, and remind herself they were walking at a perfectly normal pace. It was just her being impatient. Turning the final corner, they met Isane who had just left the room, she knew her Captain was currently in. So close now.

"Captain Unohana" Isane greeted "I was just coming to inform you that Captain Hitsugaya is awake".

"How does he is seem Isane?" Unohana replied serenely.

"Confused, I tried to see if he would eat anything but he wont respond to me Captain."

"How so?" Unohana asked.

"He's sitting up, but its like the lights are on but nobodies home, I've asked him a few questions but he doesn't seem to hear me" she paused "He looks... lost" she finished.

Unohana stepped past Isane and walked up to the door, she opened it a sliver and peeped inside, she beckoned them over a minute later and spoke in a low whisper once they had reached her "It seems he is just in deep thought, Lieutenant Matsumoto would you like to see if he recognizes you?"

She gave Captain Unohana a quick nod and went to step through the door, but she was stopped with a hand on her shoulder "Remember what I told you Lieutenant, just a few simple questions and try not to startle him" she seemed to think about something "And if you don't mind, see if you can get him to eat something please, I will be right outside if you need anything"

"Yes Captain Unohana" she replied and stepped through the door leaving it slightly ajar, Ukitake decided to stay outside, after giving her a quick nod.

Her eyes were immediately drawn to his small frame sitting in the bed, heavily bandaged, she was pleased to see him sitting up. His head was bowed down and his hands resting in his lap, deep in thought. He looked so fragile, like the simplest nudge would break him into thousands of pieces.

She walked over to the bed quietly and sat on the edge of it, and placed her hand on top of his to gain his attention, she felt him tense slightly under her touch, and he slowly started to lift his head. He locked his gaze on her with his sad looking teal eyes, and didn't seem to show any signs of recognition as he squinted back at her.

"Hey there" she said trying to hold back the hot tears she could feel building up in her eyes, as one thought crossed through her mind 'He doesn't remember me' she held his gaze despite falling to pieces inside.

He moved his hands making hers fall away, he leant forward slightly still with his sad eyes locked on hers, in a split second his eyes widened and he locked his arms around her waist and leant into her, resting his head on her shoulder "Rangiku" he cried out emotion thick in his voice.

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and held him tight, she could feel his body trembling under her arms. "Toushiro" she replied softly. Looking down at him she smiled, she could feel her shoulder getting wet, she held him tighter while he cried, rubbing his back to comfort him "Its OK, I'm here now" she hugged him closer.

"I cant believe I forgot about you" he sobbed quietly.

"Its OK Toushiro, I'm here now, I will help you through this, I promise"

Unknown to the pair crying together in the room, Ukitake and Unohana was watching over them, through the tiny gap in the door that had been left ajar "They make a special couple don't they Retsu?" Ukitake whispered.

"They sure do Juushiro" she agreed.


	12. Chapter 12

Someone To Lean On Chapter 12

It had been a week since Matsumoto's tearful reunion with her Captain, and in a week had seen a great improvement in his health. His wounds on his chest and back had healed up wonderfully thanks to Unohana's expert ministrations. He was having a little trouble walking on his knee which he had sprained, resulting in a slight limp. His head wounds which had been severe however were taking the longest to heal, and he had to keep the turban of bandaging on for a bit longer yet.

His memory seemed to have returned pretty well, which everyone was relieved about, Ukitake had helped out by talking to him about all things Gotei 13 related, while Matsumoto had stayed by his side every day talking to him about the various times they had shared together. The first day it seemed like he would never recall what had happened between them, but by the end of the third day he had been bringing up events that she hadn't mentioned to him during her stories. He was starting to remember things on his own.

However there seemed to be three distinctive areas of memory that he couldn't recall, the first one which was probably the most important was the actual attack that landed him in this condition. From what Matsumoto had gathered from talking to him, the last thing he remembered was heading back to the office after the first Captains meeting that day. They had filled him in on what had happened to him after that, about him going out on a patrol and engaging in battle and getting wounded. He now knew how he had gotten injured, but has to what exactly happened out on that patrol, it was still a mystery even to him. They had all agreed for now not to mention to him, about the stolen experiments, the office attack or the possibility someone wanted both of them dead. They agreed his only concern should be trying to recall what happened on that patrol, and if he could recall what attacked him.

The second thing that worried Matsumoto about his memory was in the time he had regained consciousness, not once had he mentioned anything about Hyourimaru. He hadn't shown any indication that he knew of his existence. She had shared this concern with Ukitake and Kyouraku one evening, and they said whatever she did, she couldn't mention it to him. It was something he would have to do on his own, and she couldn't interfere. Only Hyourimaru could help him with that.

The third thing he had trouble recalling he had confided about it to Ukitake, when she had asked Ukitake what he was having trouble with he merely answered "Don't worry Rangiku, its just Shiro-Chan stuff" and left it at that. She decided to drop the matter for now, but she would ask him again at a later time.

Unohana had mentioned that if he carried on showing improvement like he had so far, she didn't see any reason why he would have to stay in the fourth any longer.

Which brought Matsumoto to her current conversation/argument with Captain's Ukitake and Kyouraku. Just what were they going to say to Hitsugaya, about why his office had been destroyed, why she had been temporarily assigned to Squad 13 per Yamamoto's orders, and why was she currently living with Ukitake in his private quarters; in the spare room of course. Rather then the empty Lieutenant's quarters she was actually suppose to be using. Without mentioning the stolen experiments and the attempted murder in the office, and the fact that he currently had no office.

"My Captain is a smart man, he will know we are keeping something from him" voiced Matsumoto, they had reached somewhat of an impasse.

"Yes, but is it wise to mention the pilot before he has remembered what happened to him on that patrol, we don't want him to think we are pressuring him into remembering." Ukitake took in a deep breath frustrated "Unohana said we should avoid any unnecessary stress and not to pressure him."

"Yes but imagine how he would feel once he does know what happened to him, and everything falls into place, he's going to know we lied, that would do more damage, he will think we have betrayed him by keeping him in the dark." she hissed back angrily.

"I'm sorry Juu, but Ran-chan has a point, Hitsugaya is a smart guy, it might help jog his memory, and if he does recall what attacked him, it would help move things along" Shunsui took a sip out his sake bottle.

"Even if we did tell him, he will still be insistent on returning to squad 10, I still think it would be best if he stayed at squad 13 with me and Rangiku though, he still hasn't caught on about Hyourimaru, we cant leave him unprotected and alone."

"Which is exactly why we need to tell him, he wont come along to squad 13 quietly, if he doesn't know why he has to go" she added.

So far this mysterious Pilot hadn't tried anything since the office incident, but that didn't mean they weren't still out there somewhere. Kyouraku was leading this particular investigation because Ukitake had been watching over her. Kyouraku so far hadn't come up with anything, he claimed he had been waiting to hear what information Hitsugaya would be able to contribute, Nanao however claimed that he wasn't getting very far making enquiries to his sake bottle.

They had been in Kyouraku's office for the last hour discussing the situation, but had reached the mutual agreement that they should inform Hitsugaya of everything that had happened and what they currently knew, and suspected.

"Besides, I'd rather have Hitsugaya in on the loop of things, with his sharp mind he,ll probably spot something that we might have over looked" Kyouraku added has an after thought "It was him who brought light to us about Aizen's betrayal after all."

"So its decided then, we will tell him" Ukitake concluded.

"When are we going to tell him?" Matsumoto asked "There's no point stalling this".

"First thing tomorrow" Kyouraku was rubbing his stubbly chin with a finger "We cant risk leaving it any longer, he's more vulnerable while he is in the unknown".

"Right" Ukitake looked over to Matsumoto "Lets go Rangiku-chan, I need to get back to my division" When the two reached the door Ukitake paused and turned back to Kyouraku "Shunsui, shall we meet in the usual place?"

"Yea, I cant think of anywhere safer to talk about this".

* * *

He couldn't sleep, his body was aching with exhaustion, his head was feeling heavy and painful, tying to do any thinking of any kind felt sluggish and slow. Yet whenever he tried to succumb to the blissful land of sleep, he was prevented by the excessive roaring in the back of his hazy mind.

The source of that roaring gave off an aura of urgency, it needed something, it wanted him to do something. It wouldn't allow him to sleep until he had accomplished what it wanted him to do. He felt like he was being beckoned somewhere, he had to go some place, the roaring demanded it.

Slipping out of the bed and landing lightly on his feet, he padded over to the door and opened it slightly, making sure no one was around. Satisfied that the coast was clear, he started making his way through the silent deserted corridors, it was the dead of night and all was quiet and dark, making his passage easy. Ghosting past any Shinigami that he came across, it was easy they were too absorbed in their work to notice him. He finally reached the main entrance of the fourth, and slipped out into the cold night air. He was only wearing a pair of boxer shorts, and bandages wrapped around his frame, but that didn't stop him as he headed out bare footed into the night.

* * *

Isane was walking silently through the corridors of the fourth, she had just been at her Captains office helping to update the files for that day. It had been an exceptionally busy day, many members of the 11th division had been sent in due to a certain training exercise Captain Zaraki had decided to oversee. The resulting casualties had certainly kept the fourth busy.

She was currently on her way to check on Captain Hitsugaya, he had been recovering well, however he seemed to be having trouble sleeping lately, when asked why he was having trouble sleeping he would say it was nothing and then drop the conversation. Unohana had decided to keep a closer eye on him.

Isane rounded the corner to his room and noticed the door had been left ajar, immediately on guard she approached quietly and pushed the door open, looking into the room she gasped in shock. His bed was empty and he was nowhere in the room, she bolted from the room running full speed back to the office.

* * *

Ukitake was sat in his favourite spot on the veranda outside his bedroom, cup of steaming tea in hand. He was admiring the many features of his private garden, while letting his mind relax and unwind, his usual ritual before turning in for the night. However tonight his illness was playing up, every time he just started to relax he would have a mild coughing fit.

When his latest fit settled down he was aware of movement behind him and the light padding of feet approaching him, he whipped his head around to see who the visitor was.

"Rangiku-chan, I'm sorry if I've been keeping you awake, my chest is being troublesome tonight".

"Its OK Captain Ukitake, I was finding it hard to sleep anyway, when I heard you was awake, I thought maybe you could use the company."

"Very thoughtful of you, would you like some tea?" he offered her a steaming cup, she hadn't noticed he had already poured for her.

"Thank you" she accepted, with a smile.

"Now what is troubling you Rangiku-chan, must be something significant if its interrupting your sleep" he observed.

"Nothing specific, just thinking about Toushiro mostly."

"Your worried what his reaction will be tomorrow when we tell him everything, correct?"

"Yes a little..."

"Excuse me a second" he interrupted, digging in his robe, for his soul phone which was demanding his attention, he looked at the display then flipped it open "Retsu? What's the problem?" strange she would never call at this time of night.

"Are you sure!" he yelled shocked "I will be right over".

He snapped his phone shut and looked at Matsumoto who had a questioning look in her eyes "What's wrong Captain Ukitake?"

"We need to get to fourth fast, lets go" he ordered rising to his feet, abandoning the two steaming cups of tea resting on the floor of the veranda.

Within minutes they were darting across the sleepy rooftops in flashes of shunpo across the Seireitei, heading in the direction of the fourth, they had just passed by the sixth division when a call from behind grabbed their attention."Juu!" Shunsui and Nanao had caught up to them.

"Shunsui, did Retsu call you too?" his way of greeting.

"Yea sounded serious too" he replied lazily, most likely the effects of having a few drinks.

They carried on in their rush to get to the fourth, while unnoticed by the four of them the white haired figure down below enshrouded in the dark shadows, ghosting along in a semi sleeping trance.

* * *

Treading carefully The Watcher, was sneaking around the bedroom that belonged to the thirteenth division Captain. They had been waiting up high in the branch of a sakura tree, watching and waiting for the perfect opportunity. It was frustrating work watching and waiting, one needed the patience of a saint. However luck was on their side, seems the Captain got called away urgently. They was carefully searching for the one specific thing, aaahhh and here it was; his medicine supply.

Unscrewing the lid of the nearest bottle of chest tonic, they pulled a vial out of their pocket and poured the tiny amount of powder into the chest tonic bottle, they screwed the lid back on, and swirled the contents together, before placing it back where they found it. Leaving the way they came, through the open veranda door, The Watcher disappeared into the night once again.


	13. Chapter 13

Someone To Lean On Chapter 13

The moment Hitsugaya had left the fourth division, the roaring in his head had intensified. He didn't know what was causing the roaring, but the overwhelming urge to follow it somewhere overruled all logic. He felt so tired, maybe he was actually asleep and just dreaming this night time journey.

He reached a corner and a particularly loud roar in his head indicating he should turn here, sent a wave of pain through his skull, he felt like the pressure would split his head in two any minute. He cradled his head with his hands, and his cold fingers met thick bandaging. In an attempt to relieve the pressure in his skull he ripped the turban off, and discarded it on the floor before resuming his search. What exactly was he searching for?

He hadn't gone far when he could feel four separate spirit pressures approaching his position fast. Knowing he would be carted back to his room if he was discovered, he darted into the nearest cluster of shadows and suppressed his own pressure to avoid detection. When the four pressures had passed over him, he carried on his pursuit.

The source of the roaring seemed pleased that he had managed to dodge them. If he listened to the roaring carefully enough, it almost sounded like it was trying to speak to him, give him some sort of direction, indicating why it was beckoning him.

He felt a wave of dizziness overcome him sending him to his knees, he cried out loudly as his already sprained knee jarred painfully when it met the ground. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, he should just head back to the fourth. As soon as that thought had crossed his mind he was engulfed by an intense blast of arctic air, making his short body shudder violently. He had angered whoever was summoning him, and was rewarded with an extra loud roar and that's when he heard it, it was a voice. It had ordered him to get back up and keep moving.

"Who said that!" he called out, and waited to see if anyone showed themselves, they had to be having a joke with him.

'You should keep moving, turn left at that next corner' the deep voice instructed.

Wait, did it just reply to him in his head? Was he going crazy somehow?

'Hardly' snickered the voice 'Keep moving not far to go now'

"I'm not going any further till you tell me who you are!" he yelled at the top of his voice.

'Do you realise how ridiculous you look and sound yelling to yourself, in the middle of the night, while wearing just a pair of boxers with watermelons on them, a few bandages and sporting pink hair?' laughed the voice in amusement.

He felt lost for words, why was this voice teasing him so much. He got to his feet and started heading towards the corner to turn left. As instructed by the voice. Dammit! he really was going crazy, he was actually listening to the voice in his head now.

'See that ice fountain over there?' the voice asked 'Do you recognize it?'

Walking over to the fountain, he recognized it immediately 'That's the fountain I gave to my squad when I first became their Captain' he thought, hoping the voice would hear his thoughts.

'Very good Toushiro, and do you remember how you gave it the ice effect?' replied the deep voice.

'I had special help with it...someone suggested it...told me it would make it personal and special...unforgettable' he trailed off, the memory was right there, but when he tried to focus on it more, he felt it start to slip away.

He took a really good look at the ice fountain, it was a thing of beauty with the squad 10 kanji and the daffodil insignia engraved in the stone, he looked into the basin expecting to see his reflection but instead came face to face with a blue serpentine dragon, he felt a jolt go through his body as he felt Deja Vu, but as he tried to grasp at the memory that too slipped away from him. How frustrating.

'Come Toushiro you are getting closer to recalling, I feel the answer you seek is in your office' the deep voice said sympathetically.

'My office?'

'Yes, can you hear the humming? Feel the pull? Smell the frost? It beckons you'

'I guess if that's where you want me to go... err need me to go...do you need me?'

'We need each other, things just don't work out if we are divided' replied the voice with a sad edge to it.

Reaching his office he stopped dead, a tiny part of him was in shock and the rest of him stared on in horror "What the hell happened to my office!" he screamed in outrage.

Walking through the giant hole in the wall where the door should have been, but definitely wasn't now, his eyes widened at the bomb site before him. His desk had been over turned, the couches and coffee table tossed to the other side of the room, bookcases toppled over, and two walls completely blown outwards, leaving a mass of dust, splinters and broken shards of glass from the windows.

'I believe Rangiku and Father were having some fun' the voice replied with a grin.

'What the hell are you on about!' he replied irritated, not liking at all what the voice was implying 'and what do you mean Father?'

'Toushiro, do not worry about this now, there is a more pressing matter at hand' the voice said trying to soothe his irritated nerves 'Over by the desk there, I'm trapped' he snorted.

'Your trapped?' he asked confused.

Stepping over the piles of debris and cursing loudly when a splinter jammed into his bare foot, he found his desk and gave it a good shove so it was upright again. On the floor he saw a katana with a blue handle and a pointed star shaped guard, and a green sash attached to the black wooden scabbard.

He recognized it, he knew this sword better then anything else in this world, he knew it was apart of him, knew he was safe with it by his side once again. He bent down and picked it up, the familiar soothing chill running between his fingers, spreading through out his body, filling him up and making him feel complete again.

Hyourimaru.. Of course, how could he have forgotten him, just like Rangiku.

The moment he was reunited with his sword his spiritual pressure began to rise from the deepest part of his being, joining with the ice dragon residing in the sword and his mind, reforging the strong connection between master and Zanpakuto. His pressure began to increase further, before exploding through the roof reaching high up into the night sky like an icy blue beam. Screaming at the top of his voice "HYOURIMARU" The ice dragon burst out of his sword soaring up high into the sky circling the beam of light in tight spirals, roaring loudly at his freedom and happiness at finding his master.

It was tempting to stay like this for awhile longer, but he had to reign Hyourimaru back in and reseal him. Once he put his sword away, he sank to his knees. 'Forgive me Hyourimaru, how could I have forgotten you'

'Master, I believe I told you that I wasn't going anywhere silly, that I was apart of you, I also recall telling you not to worry and that you wont forget me, because I wouldn't let you.'

'So that's what you was trying to say when I was slipping away' he yawned loudly, stretching out with his back on the floor, holding his sword close to.

'Master your exhausted, sleep its OK I shall be watching over you'.

'Thanks Hyouri...mar...u' he closed his eyes, sinking into a deep blissful sleep oblivious to the frost covering everything in his destroyed office, for the first time in a week he felt complete.

* * *

Some time later the soft murmur of voices talking nearby woke him gently. Keeping his eyes closed he used his other senses to get his bearings. He recalled his night-time wanderings and remembered he had ended up at his office where he had found Hyourimaru. In the back of his mind he was aware of his cool calm presence, he was still and quiet, no doubt asleep too. It was comforting to him, knowing the gaping void he felt before had been refilled.

He remembered he had fallen asleep in his office, Hyourimaru saying he would watch over him, yet he knew this wasn't his office, it felt warm for starters, and he was definitely lying in a comfortable bed. It didn't smell like his office either, there was no smell of fresh paper, ink or furniture polish. Instead there was a strong sterile smell of disinfectant, without a doubt he knew he was back in the fourth.

Listening in on the voices, he determined they belonged to three people he knew well. Unohana's calm and gentle voice. Ukitake's warm but concerned tone, and Rangiku who sounded somewhere between angry and panicked.

He guessed they were talking about him, although he couldn't make out exactly what was being said, it seemed like they was talking quietly outside the door. Since he had regained consciousness last week he had a feeling some vital information was being withheld from him. It seemed Rangiku, Ukitake, Kyouraku and even Unohana was in on it. Was this it he thought?

He cracked an eye open and sneaked a peak at the door, it was open and he could see Ukitake and Rangiku's back, and noticed that they was holding hands. Why the hell was they holding hands he thought, fighting the urge to jump out of bed and pull her away from him. Kicking himself mentally for his jealous urge, he was about to berate himself when a thought from last night popped into his head. His trashed office and Hyourimaru's comment about Rangiku and Father having some fun. He could feel hot anger bubbling up inside of him, no doubt dropping the temperature in the room by 10 degrees. No way he thought, he trusted them both, they wouldn't... would they?

"Ne, Hitsugaya didn't anyone ever tell you its bad to eavesdrop" A low voice whispered close to his ear, which practically made him jump out of his skin "So many misunderstandings happen that way".

He snapped his head to the corner where a chair sat, that had been out of his line of vision, and saw Kyouraku lounging in it, with a smug grin plastered on his face. Lifting his hat off his eyes he gave him a wink and said "So how long have you been awake and how long was you planning on feigning sleep kiddo?"

Hitsugaya who was now sat up in his bed said nothing but glared at the older man, his anger must have been evident because Kyouraku held up his hands "Take it easy, it cant be nice knowing people are talking about you, and not knowing what its about"

"Its not that" he replied stubbornly eyebrow twitching in annoyance.

"Then what is it?" Kyouraku asked locking his gaze on him.

He couldn't admit to Kyouraku that he thought Rangiku could possibly be cheating on him with Ukitake, even thinking that it sounded ridiculous, and Ukitake was Kyouraku's best friend, that could be awkward. He pushed that thought aside for now, surely lack of sleep was making him act irrational.

"Kyouraku, when I woke up last week, I had forgotten about both Rangiku and Hyourimaru, which makes me believe I'm probably forgetting other things too."

"Go on" Kyouraku replied with his lazy drawl.

"I know I don't remember that patrol I got these injuries from, but that's beside the point, I know it will come back to me eventually, that doesn't bother me too much."

"So what is bothering you then?" he asked still in a low whisper, it was obvious to Hitsugaya he didn't want anyone outside to know that he was awake yet.

"Something has happened, something that your trying to keep hushed up, and I reckon your all in the know, You, Rangiku, Ukitake, I bet even Unohana knows something, and you've been keeping me in the dark about it" he paused for breath, still glaring at Kyouraku "I want to know what it is, and why you are all hiding things from me"

Kyouraku stared at him for awhile "That's my boy" he broke into a wide grin, still whispering he carried on "I told Ran-chan and Juu that it was no good keeping this from you, I knew you would figure something was up sooner or later, and I'm glad you figured it out, makes it easier to explain".

"Explain what exactly?" he asked folding his arms across his chest, he was growing tired of all this, he just wanted to know what the hell was going on.

"I know its frustrating, but just wait a little bit longer its not safe to talk here, besides you were going to be discharged from here today, well until you went missing last night" Kyouraku stretched lazily in the chair "Now Retsu is trying to decide if she should keep you in a bit longer, just in case"

"WHAT THE HELL! JUST INCASE WHAT!" he yelled his frustration and anger finally pushing him over the edge "CANT YOU JUST SPIT IT OUT?"

He saw Kyouraku's eyes dart towards the door, and he turned to see Unohana standing there, smiling sweetly yet with a death glare in her eyes, directed solely at him. Behind her Matsumoto stood, arms folded in front also giving him a death glare, looking over to Ukitake he didn't have his usual warm expression but instead had the look of an unamused father.

Why did he get the feeling that he was in deep shit?


	14. Chapter 14

Hello! Back once again with another chapter, I must admit I rather enjoyed writing this chapter, and I hope you all enjoy it. A quick thank you to everyone who has left me a review, I really appriciate it. Cant believe ive hit 40 reviews ^_^b

* * *

Someone To Lean On Chapter 14

Staring back at the three pairs of eyes, Hitsugaya mentally ran through the list of reasons why each of them would want to kill him. He could understand why Unohana would be angry at him. He had slipped right out of the fourth unnoticed in the middle of the night, while still not quite fully recovered from his severe wounds. That in itself was a mockery towards her and the fourth division. The fact that he was wearing next to nothing, ripped off his head bandaging without a second thought and practically fell asleep out in the open; his office was missing two walls and a roof after all. It could be considered an insult after they had brought him back from the brink of death just over a week ago.

Matsumoto obviously had been worried about him, that would explain why she had sounded panicked when talking outside, but why the hell was she glaring at him like she wished nothing more for him then a very painful death.

Ukitake didn't look angry like Matsumoto and Unohana, he just looked tired and unamused, and was that a hint of disappointment in his eyes too? He knew Ukitake saw him as his son, it was very rare not to see Ukitake smiling his usual warm smile, even when he was very ill. He was always nice to everyone. So why was he now looking so serious?

The silence seemed to stretch on forever, you could cut the tension in the room with a blunt knife. Apparently they was waiting for some kind of explanation from him about his actions last night. While he just wanted to know why the hell they are keeping things from him, and just what was the deal with Matsumoto and Ukitake?

Kyouraku got to his feet and made his way over to the door, he paused and looked at Hitsugaya giving him another wink "Well good luck kiddo, I got some things I need to attend to" and with that he swept out of the room, leaving him to face the three hungry tigers currently after his blood. Alone.

* * *

Ukitake was leaning against the wall while Unohana was busy reprimanding Hitsugaya, she had started by asking him a few questions, but had quickly turned it into a one sided lecture about his irresponsibility, not letting the young Captain get a word in edge ways. His disappearance last night had caused quite the commotion. It hadn't taken long to determine he was nowhere in the fourth division, and using their senses to detect his spiritual pressure turned up nothing because he was either hiding his own pressure or he was no longer in the Seireitei.

They had mobilized small search parties to spread out and look around the Seireitei, to find any trace of Hitsugaya. Panic had ensued when one of the parties came across some blood stained bandaging, when they had brought it back to the fourth it was quickly identified as belonging to the missing boy. Which had raised more questions, had he been abducted right out of his bed? Was it the same person who had tried to sneak into the tenth division office, could it be they was trying to finish off the young Captain? Was he not meant to have survived that attack out on patrol?

It was looking a bit grim when they had found nothing more, but when a surge of his spiritual pressure raw and uncontrolled briefly flared up alerting them to his location, they was momentarily hopeful, until it disappeared just as quick as it had appeared, but they knew where he was, and had rushed over to the tenth division.

He had been relieved when Kyouraku had reported in that he had found Hitsugaya in his office unconscious but alive. It had taken quite some time to get to him though, for some reason thick ice had formed walls around the office, keeping anyone from entering. Kyouraku had to blast his way through with kido, luckily Nanao was with him, she was very efficient with kido and they had made an entrance in no time. He was simply lying there clutching his sword like his life depended on it.

During the whole commotion Matsumoto had been so distressed about his disappearance, and overwhelmed by panic she had started to hyperventilate. It had taken some time to calm her down. Since then she had stuck to him like glue, all he could do was offer her comfort the best he could. Looking at Matsumoto, he could tell her panic from earlier had now turned into anger. Her whole body was tensed up and shaking slightly as she stood there glaring at Hitsugaya. She would definitely have a few words to say to him next.

Once Unohana had finished with him she had swept out of the room. Looking at Hitsugaya he was sat in his bed with his arms folded across his chest, his jaw was clenched and his eyebrows had drawn close together in a deep scowl, his angry eyes kept flicking between him and Matsumoto then back again. Deciding it would be best to let Matsumoto have time with Hitsugaya, he pushed away from the wall and placed his hand gently on her shoulder and gave it a little squeeze "I shall leave you two to talk, I will be outside if you need me OK" looking back over to Hitsugaya he was alarmed to see that his eyes had narrowed dangerously, glaring daggers at him, the room had dropped several degrees too.

Apparently he had somehow managed to anger Hitsugaya considerably, he crossed the threshold of the door and shut it to with a soft click, as he headed down the corridor he had gone a few paces when an explosion of noise came from the room he had just exited. Both Hitsugaya's and Matsumoto's voices raised yelling at each other, both trying to get their points across. Sighing he carried on and found the nearest door leading outside. He needed some fresh air.

* * *

"Your such an idiot Toushiro!" Matsumoto yelled at him, red faced and shaking uncontrollably with rage "Why the hell would you just up and leave like that!"

"Oh I'm sorry was I supposed to ask permission first like a good little kid" he shot back "I forgot I'm not allowed in my own office without adult supervision any more" sarcasm dripping from every word.

"Good little kid? Don't make me laugh" she scoffed "Try like a dumb little brat!"

"I'm the dumb one! Well if your so smart then you would have figured out I wouldn't have gone unless there was a damn good reason!" he snarled back.

"Good reason or not, it was still stupid given the recent circumstances" she growled back.

"I'm a Captain! Lieutenant!" he emphasized the titles "I can go where ever, when ever! I don't need your permission!"

This screaming match had been going on between them for sometime now, neither of them willing to back down, he just didn't understand why they were all so damn concerned about his safety. Silence had fallen between them now and Hitsugaya was using the time to catch his breath. He looked over to Matsumoto and she was stood fidgeting with her scarf, avoiding his gaze, he was convinced now more then ever something significant had happened. What was she hiding from him? What was they all hiding from him?

"What circumstances?" he asked after several more minutes of silence.

That made her falter slightly he noticed feeling smug "I... I cant really say... not here" she glanced at him then looked away again.

"Funny, I heard that already from Kyouraku, apparently its something important, yet it cant be that important if you can afford to wait before telling me" he stated dryly, never taking his gaze off her. The heat between them had started to fade and they was talking now rather then yelling.

"Its not like that Toushiro, you know I would tell you if I could"

"Has somebody ordered you to not tell me anything?" he said through gritted teeth, he could feel his anger rising once again.

"No! Not exactly Captain"

"Well then, Lieutenant Matsumoto I order you to tell me what you are keeping from me!" he hated that he had to do this, he hated pulling rank to get what he wanted from her.

"I CANT!" she screamed back at him, he noticed tears had started to form in her eyes, "Its just not as simple as following orders!"

"Then what's been stopping you? In the past even if you were given strict orders to withhold certain information from me, that would never have stopped you, you would have still told me!"

"This is different OK, this time around it was in your best interest to not know" she replied quietly.

"Oh so now your admitting that you have been keeping things from me on purpose!" his temper immediately flaring up again "Which makes me wonder, what other stuff are you keeping from me too!" he was instantly reminded of his trashed office, Hyourimaru's comment, Ukitake holding her hand, Ukitake squeezing her shoulder the way he did before he had left.

"Captain Ukitake thought it would be for the best if..." she was cut off by yet another angry retort.

"Well of course you would do what Ukitake thinks is best" he spat out "You obviously trust Ukitake a lot more then you do me!"

"Toushiro its not like that how could you..."

"I saw my office Matsumoto! I can see why you have been spending days at his office, but what I don't understand is why you spend the night there too, in his quarters no less.."

He was no longer being fuelled by anger, and the irritation of being left in the dark. This new feeling taking over was pure jealousy now, and he just couldn't control his outburst, even though deep down he knew it would hurt her.

"I've been keeping track of your spiritual pressure while I've been stuck in here, I've been lonely not having you by my side, obviously you don't feel the same..." he shifted his gaze to the window, when he looked back he saw that she was crying freely now "I bet you wished I had died that night".

"ITS NOT LIKE THAT!" she screamed at him "HOW COULD YOU EVEN POSSIBLY THINK THAT!" she turned on her heel and ran out the door, he could hear her retreating footsteps and loud sobs disappearing down the corridor.

He sat there for a few moments taking a few deep breaths, desperately trying to calm himself, why oh why did he just say that too her! He felt horrified, he had to go after her now! He needed to fix this and apologize. "RANGIKU WAIT!" he yelled knowing she would not hear him.

* * *

Running flat out through the fourth division, with only one thought on her mind... Escape. She had to get away from him, from this situation, she wished there was a deep deep hole she could jump in and die.

Matsumoto was aware she had been running past people on the way to the nearest exit, she vaguely remembered running past a confused Isane, who had tried to stop her unsuccessfully. She had ploughed right on, half blinded by tears, large sobs making it harder to breathe. She rounded the next corner and darted right out the main entrance.

In her mind her thoughts were racing through their argument, as expected he had been angry they had been keeping things from him, what she had not been expecting was his accusations about her time spent with Ukitake. How could he even think that, he was protecting her while Toushiro was in the fourth.

Running along not looking where she was headed she bumped into something hard and rebounded off it, falling painfully to the ground. Looking up through blurred eyes she saw pink. Blinking a few times to clear her vision she saw it was Kyouraku, who bent down and pulled her up by her arms gently.

Taking one look at her the concern flashed over his eyes "Ran-chan, what happened to you?"

Feeling a fresh wave of tears and sobs come on, she turned away from him and carried on running, she had only gone a few metres when once again she bumped into something, this time she didn't fall though, and felt two strong arms supporting her, looking up she saw Ukitake, one look at his kind face and she collapsed into him.

"Shhh Rangiku, its OK" he pulled her into a hug "Its OK"

She didn't resist when he wrapped his arms around her, she placed both her hands on his chest, leant into him and rested her head on his shoulder, crying into his neck. She could feel him rubbing her back in gentle circles in an attempt to soothe her.

She knew Kyouraku had joined them, but she carried on holding onto Ukitake for dear life, she literally felt like her whole world had just collapsed.

* * *

Barefooted he was trying to hurry through the fourth division to catch up with Matsumoto before she got too far ahead of him, he was struggling somewhat with his sore knee. Not wanting to waste time he had only pulled on the bottom half of his uniform, tying the sash hastily around his waist. His torso wasn't entirely bare though he did still have his bandages on, while in one hand he had Hyourimaru.

Anyone he passed by simply melted away from him, no one was brave enough to try and stop him. His whole aura screaming he was pissed off and angry, and anyone who tried to stop him would die a very painful death. Behind him was a trail of icy footprints and frost covered walls.

Turning a corner he came face to face with Lieutenant Kotetsu "Captain Hitsugaya I think you should return to you room..." she trailed off seeing his eyes glowing with an icy rage. He walked right past her ignoring her completely.

He finally made it to the main entrance area, receiving a few looks of alarm from the division members milling around, as he stormed towards the doors following Matsumoto's pressure, she hadn't gone far, she was just outside in the courtyard.

Stepping through the threshold of the doors, he scanned the courtyard and his stomach flipped over when he saw her, in Ukitake's arms holding each other, looking like they were a couple.

A red mist came over him, his body shaking in anger. The sky had gone dark and an icy wind stirred the quiet courtyard, the water fountain in the centre had frozen solid, while a few snowflakes had started to fall from the sky, quickly turning into hail, pelting anyone unfortunate enough to be in the area.

"UKITAKE!" He yelled at the top of his voice.

Ukitake looked up and saw him, he pushed Matsumoto towards Kyouraku who grabbed her and shunpoed her away. They simply stared at each other for a moment, before Hitsugaya drew Hyourimaru and charged at him.


	15. Chapter 15

Someone To Lean On Chapter 15

"UKITAKE!"

Hearing his name being yelled, he snapped his head towards the source which happened to be Toushiro. Damn he thought, he didn't have the time to ask Matsumoto what had happened between them, clearly it was something extreme, she was in a horrible state and locking gazes with Toushiro he saw his face was the definition of wrath.

The whole sky had gone dark and hail stones were raining down on them. Seeing Toushiro step down the stairs he pushed Matsumoto away from him and into Kyouraku's arms "Shun get her out of here now" his friend merely nodded in reply and shunpoed off.

He placed his hand on the hilt of Sogyo no Kotowari and slipped into a ready stance just as Toushiro unsheathed Hyourimaru and charged at him. Pulling his Zanpakuto out he blocked the young Captains slash with ease. Being heavier then Toushiro he used his own weight against him by shoving him back several paces, when Toushiro stopped sliding back and had regained his balance they simply stood locked in each others gazes.

He knew that Toushiro's anger was the driving force behind his actions. He had seen it many times before, when blinded by rage any sense of logic he held went out the window and he would act irrational and charge in without any thought to his own safety. Looking at the boy, he still wore the injuries he received out on that patrol. He really didn't want to fight him, he was clearly distressed and the last thing he wanted to do was cause him further harm. However he wasn't going to just stand there and let Toushiro carve him to pieces.

He needed to reason with him but in his current rage that would be impossible, guess the best course of action for now was to go along with it and let Toushiro vent his frustration out on him. He knew the boy would not last long against him he was still injured, and looking closer he could see the exhaustion hidden underneath all the anger.

"Toushiro..." he began but was cut off instantly.

"SHUT UP" he snarled back.

"What has gotten into you Shiro-chan" he smiled inwardly when the use of that hated nickname had the desired effect, Toushiro's eyes flashed dangerously and he saw him grip the handle of his sword tighter.

"ITS CAPTAIN HITSUGAYA!" he screamed back, and charged at him once again.

Ukitake was ready for him, he knew just how to provoke the young Captain into fighting, and he had taken the bait. Now the one sided battle had commenced, they danced and shunpoed around each other, Ukitake blocking each of Toushiro's thrusts, swipes and slashes with ease, he threw in a few slashes and swipes of his own to make the fight seem real. The young Captain in his blind rage hadn't noticed that he was merely playing with him.

Now all Ukitake had to do was watch and wait for the inevitable slip up on Toushiro's part, when his anger would dissipate all he would be left with is his injuries and exhaustion. That would be his time to act. Only then would he be able to talk sense into him.

* * *

On a nearby roof top, Kyouraku stood watching the on going fight down below. Several times he needed to stop Matsumoto from going down below to intervene, she had given up trying after the fifth attempt and was now sat on the edge of the roof with her legs dangling down observing the fight. Nanao was sat next to her with a supportive arm around her friends shoulder hugging her tightly.

The sound of swords clanging and scraping against each other reached their ears along with several loud insults and angry cries from Hitsugaya.

"He's going to kill him" Matsumoto gasped out trying to suppress a sob.

Kyouraku peeled his eyes away from the fight for a minute "Not a chance Ran-chan I know Juu very well, he is only playing down there, he wont hurt Hitsugaya"

"I didn't mean that! I meant Toushiro is going to kill Captain Ukitake, I've never seen him this angry before" she replied wiping the back of her hand over her eyes.

"Like I said before Ran-chan... not a chance, Hitsugaya is running on anger, it will only get him so far before he crashes and burns" he adjusted his straw hat "Still, I'm curious what could have possibly sent him over the edge like that"

He watched her for a few seconds, she looked away trying to avoid his gaze but he had seen the guilt and hurt in her eyes before she had turned away. Clearly she didn't want to talk about it but he knew something like this should be out in the open.

"Ran-chan I know you probably don't want to talk about it, but you need to tell me exactly what happened, why are you so upset, and why is Hitsugaya out for Juu's blood?" he made sure his tone was even, not wanting it to sound like a demand or an order.

Nanao who had stayed quiet so far gave her a little squeeze "Rangiku, tell us what happened, its no good to anyone bottling these things up"

Straightening up, Matsumoto took a deep breathe "I knew he was angry before Unohana had words with him, so it can't have been all my fault" she looked down towards the courtyard where Hitsugaya and Ukitake were still engaged in their fight "But he made me feel so guilty, like this whole mess is my fault"

Kyouraku let out a sigh "Its not your fault personally Ran-chan, was anything said between Juu and Toushiro while you was in the fourth?"

"No, after Unohana left, Captain Ukitake left shortly afterwards, said he would give us time to talk" she replied shaking her head "As soon as he left, me and Toushiro started arguing".

"I assume you was arguing about us keeping things from him, correct?" he asked already knowing the answer.

"Well... yes." she had hesitated slightly before giving her answer, and he had noticed it.

"What else Ran? There must have been something else, Toushiro could have easily come after me for keeping him in the dark, why is his rage only directed at Juu?" he knew he was getting closer to the vital part, she had tears starting to spill over once again.

"He wasn't just mad because we kept information from him" she paused wiping her eyes once again "Its one thing if I was under orders to not say a word, but I wasn't and he couldn't get his head around why I would keep quiet if not under orders to do so, he's furious with me for not attempting to tell him"

"Try not to be so hard on yourself Ran, we all agreed it was for the best at the time, I still don't get why he's got a personal grudge against Juu though" he looked back down to where his friend was fighting the younger Captain.

* * *

Observing the fight from her office window, Unohana was secretly glad it was Juushiro locked in a fight with Hitsugaya she trusted him not too hurt the already injured boy. Although she didn't approve of them fighting in the first place she reminded herself it could have been a lot worst, it could have been Zaraki he was picking a fight with rather then the gentle Captain. She shuddered at the thought of what the outcome of that battle would have been, and the cleaning up afterwards.

Hitsugaya needed an outlet for his stress, the frustration of having a few segments of memory missing and being stuck in the fourth while his injuries healed had been slowly building up for the past week. She had noticed it but decided not to press him into sharing his frustrations, he was a naturally reserved person.

However when he had started showing signs of not sleeping well, she kept a closer eye on him. Stress, frustration and no sleep can only go on inside a person for so long before they snapped under the pressure.

As long as they kept fighting how they was, she was happy enough to let it go on for a bit longer, Juushiro wouldn't allow it to get out of hand.

* * *

Spinning around and bringing his sword down Ukitake reflected Toushiro's latest attack, and countered with a strike of his own. Toushiro swept his body sideways, evading the blade and brought Hyourimaru round on Ukitake.

Ukitake effortlessly blocked it and countered with a rising cut. Toushiro parried the blade clear thrusting forward, Ukitake jumped backwards Toushiro's blade barely missing his chin. Ukitake drove forwards with a strike to Toushiro's chest, but the young Captain deflected it, then advanced forward with another thrust, which Ukitake avoided by spinning out of reach and stepping back to create some distance between himself and Toushiro.

Ukitake then cut across at Toushiro's feet, forcing him to jump the blade. Toushiro then lost his balance when he landed, his knee injury jarring painfully, but still he managed to block Ukitake's returning strike aimed at his stomach.

Toushiro slammed his sword up under Ukitake's, knocking it skywards, he then kicked Ukitake hard in the chest, throwing him back against a nearby cherry blossom tree. Pressing forward his attack, Toushiro swung his sword directly at Ukitake's head. At the last second out of instinct Ukitake ducked and felt the tree shudder as Toushiro's sword collided with the trunk and wedged itself in. Driving forward with all his might Ukitake drove his shoulder into Toushiro's gut. Toushiro flew backwards and they landed in a heap. This fight had turned serious Ukitake thought dismayed.

Rolling off Toushiro he used shunpo to get some distance, and regain his bearings, Toushiro's kick to his chest had been unexpected. Taking a few deep breaths he watched as Toushiro wrenched Hyourimaru out of the tree trunk, and noticed as he did that the young Captain was showing signs of tiring.

Toushiro strolled forwards ready for the next round, Ukitake noticed he was favouring his bad knee and knew it wouldn't be much longer now, before the boys body gave out under exhaustion.

They faced off again.

Ukitake knocked Toushiro's blade aside, thrusting his sword into Toushiro's face. Toushiro stumbled backwards desperately seeking to avoid being stabbed, he then slashed wildly with Hyourimaru in retaliation and Ukitake had to retreat to avoid getting caught by the flurry of blows.

Ukitake baited him by lowering his guard. Toushiro spotted the opening and raising his sword high, sliced downward at Ukitake's exposed head. Ukitake slipped to Toushiro's outside and swiped across his stomach with the flat side of his blade, it wasn't his intention to wound him after all. Toushiro crumpled to the floor thrown out by the unexpected manoeuvre. Ukitake backed off giving the boy space, as he stumbled back to his feet winded.

They stood staring at each other, panting from the exertion of the fight, using the opportunity to eye each other up. Each planning their next moves.

Toushiro shifted his stance slightly and tightened his grip on Hyourimaru "Reign over the frosted heavens HYOURIMARU!"

Ukitake's eyes widen in surprise, this fight really was serious now "All of the waves, become my shield! Every bolt of lightning, become my sword! Sogyo no Kotowari!" wasting no time he also called upon his shikai.

* * *

Up on the rooftop Kyouraku was fascinated by the intensity of the fight down below, quite a number of times the participants had some close calls, however he could see Hitsugaya was quickly losing his strength now and tiring, which was a good thing really, he couldn't imagine that kick he gave Juushiro had done his friend any good.

Suddenly Hitsugaya's spirit pressure spiked as he called upon his shikai, and seconds later the familiar feel of his friends spirit pressure mixed in with Hitsugaya's, as Juushiro too called upon his shikai. Juushiro's playtime was over, his friend was finally being serious.

Turning back to Matsumoto he could see the look of fascinated horror on her face, something more had happened between her and Hitsugaya, he was sure of it. The ferocity of the fight down below just didn't match the explanation. Yes he had some information kept from him, but that didn't warrant this level of anger.

Turning away from the fight he walked over to where Matsumoto was now standing, grabbing her hands lightly he pulled her towards him and then moved his hands to rest on her shoulders. He had to bend down slightly so their eyes were on an even level.

"Rangiku" once he was satisfied he had her full attention he carried on "Something more was said between you and Hitsugaya, tell me what was said".

She tried to look away from him not wanting to answer but the weight of his gaze said no nonsense "He thinks I'm cheating on him with Captain Ukitake.." she lowered her gaze to the floor.

Kyouraku's eyes widened at that little statement "Rangiku.."

"Its not true OK!" she snapped back "I'm not like that, I would never do that to Toushiro"

"I believe you, and Juu would never have allowed it to happen either, he's an honourable man" he lifted her chin up so he could look in her eyes "What else happened?"

"Well.. he didn't give me chance to say anything really, he made the accusation that I'd probably wished he had died that night so I could be with Ukitake" she choked out through a sob.

"Ouch" he gave her a sympathetic look "Did you say anything in return to that?"

"No.. I just had to get away from him, I couldn't bare being in the room with him any longer, so I ran".

Kyouraku sighed it was a classic misunderstanding "So you ran away, without trying to explain or putting him right and bumped into me and Juu outside"

"Sounds about right" she took a few deep calming breaths.

"And he came after you and the first thing he saw when he caught up...was you in the arms of Juu" Damn that was some unfortunate timing, he saw her little nod confirming what he thought "Well that explains things a bit better".

* * *

"Toushiro stop this madness, your at your limit the only person your hurting is yourself" Ukitake yelled at him.

Hitsugaya looked up at the man standing before him and glared angrily at him, but he knew it came out more like a painful grimace. He knew he was at his limits, he didn't need Ukitake to tell him so. He had felt confident he had the upper hand in this fight, that was until he released his shikai, and it all went down hill from then onwards.

His whole body was under strain from his own spiritual pressure, when Ukitake had released his shikai too, it felt like he was fighting in thick syrup. But still he had fought, his body getting more tired every minute that past. Every swing and strike felt sluggish and slow. He'd started out by once again charging in just using his sword and chain method, however that was proving difficult with Ukitake's twin swords. So he had switched tactics and backed off and decided to aim his icy dragons at him from a distance.

Ukitake had merely just used his twin swords to shoot back whatever he had aimed his way, which had landed him in his current predicament. He was down on all fours dripping wet and icy cold, his whole body felt heavy and it was screaming in pain. He was tired and his arms were shaking uncontrollably, while Ukitake merely stood there with nothing but calm patience plastered on his face. It irritated him to hell.

His own body was betraying him now, struggling through the pain he got to his feet once again. He wasn't done yet 'Master, listen to Father he is only concerned about you' Hyourimaru said in his mind.

'I don't believe it, even you are turning against me now Hyourimaru' he thought back gritting his teeth against the pain in his body 'And he is not my Father so quit calling him that!'

'Do what you must' the ice dragon snorted back 'But I wont allow you to carry on, your on your own now' and with that said he felt Hyourimaru retreat into the back of his mind.

Taking a stance once again he glared back at Ukitake, adjusting the grip on his sword, he poured the very last of his spirit pressure into the blade. Letting out a loud angry cry he charged forward once again, gaining speed using all his might left for one final blow. He saw Ukitake tense up watching and waiting as he got closer and closer to delivering the final blow.

He was only a few metres away from Ukitake when an excruciating pain in his knee caused it to give way, as his weight landed on his right leg. He went crashing down to the ground landing hard upon the injured knee. An agonising scream escaped his lips. His sword had fallen from his grasp and skidded to a halt a few inches away from his hand.

The only thing he was aware of was the pain, he balled his hands into fists, punching the ground in a vain attempt to stem the pain. He wasn't aware that Ukitake had shunpoed over to him, and was currently pinning him down, by sitting lightly on his lower back, he grabbed Toushiro's arm that was closest to Hyourimaru, and pulled it back into a gentle arm lock to prevent him from grabbing the sword and swinging it at his head.

"Ukitake get off me!" he hissed out angrily

"NO! You are going to stop this insanity and listen to me" Ukitake shouted back at him.

The shock of hearing Ukitake shout at him made him momentarily forget he was angry at the man, and he stopped trying to struggle "I told you to stop this madness, and that you would only end up hurting yourself"

"I understand that you are angry, but this is no way for anyone to act" Ukitake shifted his weight slightly "Are you happy now? Lying here on the floor, not being able to walk away, not having the strength to lift your own sword. How do you expect to protect anyone when you cant even defend yourself?"

Toushiro lay there stunned, all the fight had gone out of him, he was tired, in pain and he felt like the worlds biggest jerk after Ukitake's reprimand. He felt the weight lift off his back, as Ukitake got to his feet and heard him slide his sword back into its scabbard.

"Ukitake... will you just tell me what the hell is going on?" he asked in a weak voice.

"We was planning on telling you today, right after Retsu and Rangiku had spoken to you, but since you wanted to throw a temper tantrum" Ukitake stepped around him and crouched down so he could see his face "It delayed our plans somewhat"

"Let me guess... you cant just tell me right here, right now?" he asked annoyed.

He was aware of several different pressures nearby, Kyouraku, Matsumoto and Ise was on a nearby roof. It seemed like Komamura was close by observing the fight, Soifon was perched up a tree that stood nearby the entrance to the fourth.

"It wouldn't be wise" Ukitake paused as he seemed to be using his senses to search the surrounding area "Can you walk Toushiro? It would be advisable if we moved from here, Kenpachi is on his way over, I'm sure like me, that you don't want a run in with him?"

Hitsugaya leant on his weak arms and felt them shake, he was so drained he couldn't support his own weight on them and collapsed back to the ground, grunting in pain and hissing with frustration.

"Here let me help you, grab your sword" Ukitake then rolled him over onto his back and then helped him to sit up. He then crouched behind him and threaded his arms under his armpits "Put your weight on your good knee Toushiro" when he had done that he then hoisted him up and steadied him.

"OK good, now brace yourself Toushiro" he saw the small Captain arch an eyebrow at him.

Without giving him any explanation Ukitake tightened his grip and shunpoed both of them away, and didn't stop until he dropped out of it a few minutes later on top of the Sokyoku hill.

"Ukitake... why are we up here?" Hitsugaya asked.


	16. Chapter 16

Someone To Lean On Chapter 16

With the help of Ukitake, he had managed to sit down in a semi comfortable position,

his knee was beyond painful but he chose to ignore it for now. Currently they were sitting on the edge of the cliff with their legs dangling down. The Sokyoku Hill was the highest point in the Seireitei which spread out far below them. It was a shame this place was only used for the occasional execution because the view was quite a sight to see.

Hitsugaya thought even though the sun was up it felt pretty chilly, maybe due to the strong wind high up here. That and he was still pretty wet from his fight with Ukitake, and he was only wearing his hakama and a few soggy bandages.

Looking over to Ukitake, he was annoyed to see that the older Captain had come away from their fight without a single scratch, cut or bruise to be seen, well maybe not entirely, he did kick him in the chest hard. Ukitake caught him looking at him and gave him a fatherly smile which instantly made him feel guilty, how could he have lost control so much that he would pick a fight with the kind Captain.

They had been sitting there for some time now in complete silence admiring the view, if he was honest with himself he felt somewhat awkward, just what did you say to someone after you had just tried to take their head off in a fit of rage. Should he apologise for his actions maybe? He wasn't so sure, he knew for sure though he would have to tell Ukitake just what it was that sent him over the edge. He got the impression Ukitake had brought him up here as a time out. Truthfully being up here was oddly peaceful and it was helping to soothe his angry mind, maybe it was Ukitake's intention to make sure he was calm before they started talking. A big gust of wind passed over the hill at that moment sending a violent shiver through his body making him gasp.

Ukitake noticed this and turned to him "Forgive me Toushiro, I didn't think it would be as windy up here as it is" he slipped off his haori and passed it to him "Put it on I think we are going to be up here for awhile yet" he took it somewhat awkwardly and wrapped it around his shoulders, it was huge and felt bulky compared to his own and had longer sleeves, but it did take the chill out of the wind and warmed his skin.

"Thanks... Ukitake why did you bring me up here?" he was trying to figure out why up here of all places.

"Toushiro, I have a lot I need to discuss with you, I brought us up here because it was very unlikely anyone else would be up here, with just you and me and no other soul around for miles, if anyone tried to sneak up on us, we'd know".

Hitsugaya's eyebrow rose at that statement "Why would anybody want to sneak up on us?"

Ukitake looked away from him, seemingly lost in his thoughts "Toushiro, I'm sorry that we kept you out of the loop of things it wasn't intentional, I just felt it was for your own safety at the time, you was in bad shape and I didn't want to worry you further".

"Why would I have been worried knowing this certain information?" Toushiro asked, he was feeling quite calm now and his curiosity was rearing its head.

"Well for starters, when you regained consciousness it was clear you was having trouble with your memory, which didn't surprise me they were some nasty head wounds" he shifted slightly to sit more comfortably "I didn't want to put more pressure on you, but Toushiro you see, Its vital we figure out what happened to you on that patrol, we have some theories, but they don't help us unless you can recall what happened for yourself"

"Ukitake you said before, you thought I was attacked out on that patrol, do you think it is related to something else, these 'happenings' you keep mentioning?"

"I'm certain it is related to the other happenings around the Seireitei Toushiro, but like I said its only a theory until you can confirm or deny my suspicions" he paused for breath "I know your dying to know what happened while you was in the fourth recovering, but first will you answer a few questions?"

"Of course" he shifted slightly and winced as the movement sent a jolt of pain through his knee. He tensed up while waiting for the pain to recede and only when it had settled down did he relax again.

"Toushiro did you hurt your knee that bad?" Ukitake asked concerned for his young companion "Let me see it"

"Its OK really, I'm fine" he looked at Ukitake and saw that he hadn't convinced him.

"Really? Then why has your face gone whiter then your hair?" Ukitake smirked at him "Let me see it OK, I'm not as experienced at healing like Retsu, but I do know some basic healing kido"

"Fine" he replied feeling a bit dubious. He swung his leg that was still dangling over the cliffs edge, up onto the ground he was sat on with some difficulty. In the time he had been sitting there, his knee had swollen up and gone stiff. When he pulled the leg of his hakama up he couldn't suppress the gasp that escaped his lips.

His knee looked ugly, it had swollen considerably, almost three times its normal size. Dark purple, brown and blue bruising contrasted horribly with the pale skin on the rest of his leg. Around his knee cap the skin was bulging, like there was fluid inside his knee wanting to burst like a balloon at any second. He had to look away the pain and the look of it made him feel slightly sick to his stomach.

Ukitake shuffled closer to him and gently placed Toushiro's injured knee across his lap, to elevate the limb so he could work at it better. Gathering a small sky blue sphere of kido in his palm, he gently worked the sphere around the injured area. It was quite a pleasant feeling, it felt cool and hummed gently, slowing making the pain dull "Just relax Toushiro and the pain will ease off in no time"

Ukitake glanced at his face and noticed he was looking queasy, he picked up on their previous conversation in the hopes of distracting him from the pain of his knee "So Toushiro still up for answering a few questions?"

Glad for the distraction he gave a little nod "Sure, go ahead"

"Your probably fed up of being asked this one, but what's the last thing you remember doing before you got injured on that patrol?"

"When I was first asked that question, I could only recall attending the Captains meeting that afternoon" he wrapped the borrowed haori tighter around his shoulders as a particular strong gust of wind swept over them "I've tried to force myself to remember, but when I push too hard I get a flash of pain in my head"

"I see" Ukitake replied curious "Is that all you remember?"

"No... I can now recall returning to my office afterwards, Rangiku was there and we talked for a bit, after that things feel a bit hazy, but its not a complete blank, every now and then I will get a flash of memory, but when I try to focus on it, it slips away" he looked away from Ukitake and rested his eyes on the surrounding view "I find it frustrating"

"Don't push at it too much Toushiro, Shunsui is going to help you out with that".

"How so?" he asked returning his gaze back to Ukitake.

"Shunsui has been landed with the evening patrol tomorrow, I think he is planning on asking you to go along with him, and following the same route you and Rangiku took that night"

"Oh" was his only reply.

"He reckons it might help jog your memory" Ukitake turned his attention back to healing the injured knee. A comfortable silence fell between them, but Toushiro was the first to break it.

"What's your next question?" he asked, he was pretty sure there was more then one question waiting for him.

"Done" stated Ukitake, which confused him somewhat.

"Huh?" he sent a questioning glance towards the older man.

"Your knee Toushiro, I've done what I can for it. How does it feel?" Ukitake lifted his leg gently off his lap and placed it on the ground "Any more pain?"

Toushiro had completely forgotten about his knee while he had been talking, but now he thought about it, it had stopped hurting, it just felt tight and had limited movement "Better then it was, the pain has gone it just feels tight" he went through the motions of bending and straightening it.

"It should keep you going till we can get Retsu to have a look at it" Ukitake flicked his wrist and the kido ball faded away.

"Thanks"

They fell into another silence in which Hitsugaya was waiting for Ukitake to resume his questions, when he showed no signs of speaking Hitsugaya was deciding how to break the silence, he wanted to get this conversation back on track, but it seemed Ukitake was reluctant to do so. Maybe the man was waiting on him to speak first. He hated these awkward silences.

He felt Hyourimaru stir in the back of his mind 'Maybe you should try apologising for being a jerk, Master" he huffed, before retreating again.

Sighing loudly, he knew Hyourimaru was right, he needed to apologise. Yes he had been angry at Rangiku for not trying to tell him what had been happening. But his anger at Ukitake had been over a completely different matter, and attacking him out of jealousy like that was inexcusable. To apologise properly he would have to admit to Ukitake the real reason that set him off, he was sure Ukitake thought it was only about withheld information. He was pulled from his thoughts by a gentle pressure on his shoulder.

Looking up he saw Ukitake's worried face looking back at him "Are you OK? I asked you a question but you seem to have zoned out on me for bit"

Had he really? "I'm sorry... Ukitake" he had to look away from those warm eyes of his he couldn't stand seeing him being so kind, he didn't deserve it.

"Don't apologise for thinking Toushiro"

"No... I wasn't apologising for that"

Ukitake looked at him confused then realization struck him "If your apologising for venting your stress out on me, there's really no need to. I do realise I contributed to it by not telling you what was happening"

"Its not that!" he snapped, then mentally slapped himself "I'm sorry I didn't mean..." sighing angrily "I've been such a jerk towards you"

He swung his bad leg back over the edge of the cliff so it was dangling once again, and brought his good leg up to his chest, so he could lean his crossed arms on it. He used his arms as a pillow and rested his chin against them "I don't deserve your kindness. If the roles were reversed I probably would have tossed you off this cliff by now, if you had done to me, what I did to you"

"Toushiro.." Whatever Ukitake was going to say, he cut him off, he needed to say this now, he needed him to understand.

"I didn't attack you for the reasons you seem to think, I got angry when I saw you and Rangiku together in the fourth, when you had left we argued. Probably the worst argument we have ever had to date. I said some things I regret now, but that's beside the point I cant take back what I said now"

"And I've probably hurt her terribly, I basically accused her of cheating on me...with you...and that she probably wished I had died that night so she could be with you"

"I went after her, I wanted to apologise, I cant bare the thought of losing her, but when I caught up..."

"You found her in my arms and the jealousy took over you like a red mist" Ukitake finished for him.

Hitsugaya just grunted his reply and buried his forehead in his arms, he was waiting for the angry outburst of indignation from Ukitake, a reprimand, even a punch in the face. He wasn't expecting however for the older man to burst out laughing. He shot a look at him confused, why was it so funny to him that he had tried to kill him?

"Hey! What's so damn funny about all this!" he yelled annoyed that he wasn't being taken seriously.

After several minutes Ukitake's laughter had died down and Hitsugaya's frown had deepened considerably. Ukitake looked up at him with that annoyingly amused, fatherly look and smiled his warm smile at him.

"Toushiro, I'm sorry I just don't see how you reached that conclusion" Ukitake saw that he was glowering at him and made the effort to put on a serious face "Look the fact that you felt jealous just shows that you care deeply for Rangiku, while you have been recovering I have merely been watching over her"

"But can I ask Toushiro, why did you think she was cheating on you? How did you even reach that conclusion?" Ukitake asked feeling rather curious.

Breaking eye contact, he suddenly became very interested in his hands, he couldn't bare to look Ukitake in the eye while he told him, how he had reached the assumption he had. He realised he was stalling, and he knew Ukitake thought the same.

"Toushiro, just get it off your chest and tell me. I promise I wont judge you or get angry" Ukitake offered as a form of encouragement.

Damn that man, why was he so nice to him, taking a deep breath and letting it out as a long sigh "I had been aware for awhile since I woke up in fourth that you and Rangiku had been spending quite a lot of time together. I didn't think too much of it though seeing as I trust you both"

"But what did puzzle me was why she spent whole days at your division, and what truly confused me was why she didn't leave at night. Whenever I couldn't sleep at night I would focus on her presence, it helped me relax. But when I always felt her at your division and couldn't think of a plausible reason why, it started to irritate me"

"The more irritated I got, the harder it got to sleep. Then last night I was exhausted but every time I tried to sleep, the roaring in my head prevented me from sleep. I didn't know at first it was Hyourimaru trying to reform our connection"

"He guided me out the fourth and made sure I didn't stop until I reached him in my office. He was feeling agitated because he was trapped under my desk. I asked him what the hell happened to my office"

"He just made the comment and I quote 'Rangiku and Father were having some fun' it confused me at first but I let it drop, well until..." he clenched his hands into fists and could feel his nails biting into his palm.

Sensing movement he looked to his right and saw that Ukitake had shuffled closer so he was sitting a few inches away, and felt the weight of his arm drape around his shoulders, pulling him into a semi hug. He felt uncomfortable with the contact grumbling inwardly, why did this man act so damn fatherly towards him?

"When I woke up in fourth I heard you, Rangiku and Unohana talking outside my room, the door was slightly open, and I saw you two holding hands, and I really thought that I was losing her right then, but what really set me off was when you decided to leave and you squeezed her shoulder like you did... During the argument I accused her of trusting you more then she did me. I thought I had lost her for good when she ran off, I had to go after her"

He didn't say any more he didn't need to, he knew Ukitake would understand now. Reaching up he pinched the bridge of his nose, he could feel a weeks worth of tension and stress coming out of him, and a migraine was inevitably on its way.

"Toushiro I'm so very sorry that my actions have caused such a big misunderstanding, and caused you much grief and pain. I never thought the actions I took to protect Rangiku would have such consequences, I don't even know how to make it up to you"

"Maybe if you just tell me what's going on, I think that will be enough" he shrugged Ukitake's arm off his shoulder and rested his back against the ground, legs still dangling over the cliff top. He closed his eyes and resumed pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Are you feeling OK Toushiro?"

"Fine, just a headache coming on" he readjusted the haori so it was wrapped tighter around him, he was feeling so cold up here, it was confusing because he never felt the cold like this. He was just getting comfy when a sharp pain in his back made him sit up again.

Ukitake noticed his restlessness "Something wrong Toushiro?" as he watched him squirming around.

"I cant get comfy, feels like there is a stone around here somewhere, either that or its something in your haori" he patted where the area where he felt the lumpy pain.

"Oh! I know what it is, check the inner pocket I have something in there I was going to give you, guess it slipped my mind. Go ahead" Ukitake beamed at him.

He dug through the many inner pockets of Ukitake's haori. Why the hell did someone need so many pockets. His haori only had one, and one was enough. He finally located the pocket that had the lump in it, and pulled out a lone lollipop it was shaped like a watermelon. He immediately felt his eyebrows twitch in annoyance. Why? Why Him?

"Ukitake... Why do you do this to me?" he sighed.

"I've told you many times, its because we are …." Ukitake began.

"Yeah Yeah.. both Shiro-chan, whatever.." he finished for him annoyed, then added as an after thought "Thank you" he did quite like the novelty of its shape. Watermelon! Genius.

Ukitake smiled to himself, seems like he was finally making progress with Toushiro, he had actually accepted it and thanked him.

"Now then Toushiro, are you sitting comfortably? Because what I'm going to tell you now is rather... unsettling but you do need to know, your safety depends on it and I hope it will explain a great deal"

Toushiro gave him a simple nod and settled back down, with his back resting on the ground "I'm all ears Ukitake"


	17. Chapter 17

Hello! Back with another chapter. This one took me a bit to get done, I knew exactly how I wanted to start it off, and how to finish it, but for some reason I kept getting a mental block on the middle parts, Ile blame it on this cold making me feel tired. Thanks again to everyone who left me reviews, they are much appriciated and im glad the fight scene went down well. Now onto the story Happy Reading ^_^b

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Someone To Lean On Chapter 17

"So let me get this straight Ukitake" Hitsugaya said rubbing a hand over his tired eyes "Something sneaked into my office, and you thought its intentions were to kill Rangiku?"

"Correct, I'm certain if I hadn't decided to stop by, she would have still been asleep on the sofa and an easy target" Ukitake confirmed for the young Captain.

"Right, so you had no other choice but to hide yourself and Rangiku in some illegal kido bubble of yours; that just happens to be highly unstable, inside my enclosed office to do some snooping?" he asked sarcastically.

"Exactly! To see if it would shed any light on what happened to you on your patrol" Ukitake tapped a long finger on his chin "Although thinking about it now, maybe the kido bubble wasn't such a good idea after all"

"Your only just thinking about that now!" he yelled back incredulous "Couldn't you have reached that conclusion before killing my office!"

"You seem more upset about your office being accidentally destroyed then the prospect of Rangiku's attempted murder" Ukitake observed.

Hitsugaya gritted his teeth and mentally face palmed "No... Its just that it makes no sense what your trying to say" he draped an arm over his face "How does blowing up my office, shed any light on what happened out on that patrol"

"Toushiro.. let me tell you everything that happened from start to finish, I understand you wanted to know what happened to your office first, but really it will make more sense hearing it from the start.

"Fine go ahead" Toushiro's irritation was increasing, along with his headache which Ukitake seemed to have noticed "Then can we head back?"

"Of course" Ukitake replied then launched into a full explanation of everything that had happened during and after the patrol. The state they had found him in, what happened the next day in the office, the Captains meeting when Kurotsuchi reported the stolen items, and how the description of the stolen experiments matched that of the office prowler. Then when Kurotsuchi mentioned that they needed kido to be animated and a pilot to control them, they had reached the conclusion that the office incident was no accident, and they theorized that the attack on him out on patrol may also be no accident. Which raised the question, is it just squad ten leadership that could be the target, or could anyone else be at risk.

"Since then Yamamoto placed Rangiku under my protection, till you could tell us what happened on that patrol, which leads me to another question, will you assist me and Shunsui in this investigation?"

"Of course I will, where are you planning on basing the operation? You cant exactly be open about this can you?" Hitsugaya replied catching on quick, this pilot could be anyone walking amongst them.

"Don't worry, me and Shunsui will use the usual place when we need to investigate something of a sensitive nature"

"Which is?" he asked sceptically.

"The Central Library" Ukitake grinned at him.

"Are you serious! Can you get any more public then that place?" Hitsugaya was seriously questioning Ukitake's sanity.

"Trust Shunsui, its the perfect place" The sound of Ukitake's soul phone beeping inside the folds of the haori he was using as a blanket interrupted them.

"Left, inside pocket, near the chest Toushiro" Ukitake supplied. He found the phone and passed it over to Ukitake, who stood up and walked a few paces away.

In such a short space of time, it had been a lot of information to take in. It almost felt like a blindfold had been ripped off his eyes and now he was seeing everything clearly. He still felt like a complete jerk for how he had acted, but he now understood why Rangiku had been spending so much time with Ukitake, and he was grateful that somebody had been watching over her.

He also felt foolish for sneaking out the fourth like he did, he would have been a ridiculously easy target if this pilot had been around at the time and spotted him alone. He also understood why Ukitake had been furious with him after their fight, and had to admit he had been right, how could he have possibly protected himself in such a weakened state.

He moved the arm he had draped over his eyes, and turned to look at Ukitake. It seemed the older Captain would be some time yet.

He draped his arm back over his eyes, his head was throbbing painfully and it felt like the surrounding area was spinning. He was still wrapped in Ukitake's haori, he was dry now but he felt if possible even colder then before. Being the wielder of a ice/snow type Zanpakuto, he had a certain immunity to the cold and should not be feeling this way.

His body still felt heavy and drained of all strength. Last nights events and the fight with Ukitake had really took it out of him. He closed his eyes and allowed sleep to take over.

* * *

Snapping his phone shut Ukitake turned on his heel and headed back to where Hitsugaya was still lying down "Toushiro we need to head back to fourth fast" he reached him and crouched down "Retsu is furious I grabbed you and took off, rather then taking you back to your room" when he received no response he prodded the young Captain in his ribs "You still technically haven't been discharged yet"

Still receiving no response Ukitake reached out and pulled Hitsugaya's arm away from his face "Toushiro can you hear me?" he saw that his eyes were closed. Had he fallen asleep? He gave him a gentle shake and frowned when he didn't stir.

Taking a closer look, he didn't like what he was seeing. The boy had dark circles under his eyes, his skin looked quite pale but his cheeks were flushed red with a few beads of sweat dotted on his forehead. He placed a hand on his forehead and it felt hot, definitely the start of a fever. Cursing his stupidity for bringing him up here rather then taking him back to the fourth to check him over first, they had been right outside it after all. Retsu sure was going to chew him out for this.

Scooping up the boy and somehow managing to juggle Hyourimaru too, he shunpoed back to the fourth at top speed, dropping out of it in the courtyard a few minutes later.

Walking up the steps and into the main entrance Isane walked up to him.

"Captain Ukitake Sir, Captain Unohana asked me to escort you and Captain Hitsugaya to the treatment room, if you could follow me please" Isane led him down a hallway.

After turning left into another corridor he saw Shunsui waiting outside one of the rooms along with Rangiku and Nanao. Shunsui stood when he saw him round the corner with Isane and raised a questioning eyebrow at the bundle in his arms.

"Juu what the hell did you do to him?" he exclaimed loudly "I thought you was just going to talk to him. Have you ever heard of the phrase Child Abuse?"

He was spared having to comment by the timely interruption of Nanao smacking Shunsui over the head with a pretty heavy book she was carrying with her "Idiot! I'm sure Captain Hitsugaya doesn't appreciate comments such as that"

"So mean Nanao-chan" he whined in response, rubbing his head.

Ignoring his best friend for now, he followed Isane into the treatment room and placed Hitsugaya onto the examination table, and placed his Hyourimaru on a nearby table. He went back over to Hitsugaya and retrieved his haori that had still been wrapped around him, and slung it back around his shoulders. He was glad it had been Isane who he had ran into, he thought it would be best for now to avoid Unohana till she had calmed down somewhat "I will leave him in your capable hands Isane" and he turned to exit through the door, however he came face to face with Unohana. He gulped audibly, this was not good. Although she looked calm and had her usual serene smile on her face, her eyes told a different story.

"Hello Retsu" he tried for light and charming, but the look she was giving him made him feel somewhat nervous.

"Sit down" she said politely pointing at a nearby chair, while closing the door behind her.

* * *

Outside in the hallway Shunsui was laughing at his friends misfortune "He's in for it now" he chuckled.

SMACK!

"Idiot!" Nanao scolded him, with another hit around the head with her book "Cant you ever be serious!"

"So mean Nanao-chan" he pouted.

Getting up out of her chair, Matsumoto started walking away from the pair "I need some fresh air" was her only explanation, ignoring Shunsui's and Nanao's protests. However she had only gone a few steps when she heard the door of the treatment room opened.

"Rangiku wait!" she stopped and hesitated slightly, she didn't feel quite ready to face the owner of that voice yet, one of the reasons why she wanted to go for a walk in the first place was to have time to think before that encounter.

She had been trying to get her head around why Toushiro had said the things that he had. She knew from past experiences that he could be hot tempered with a very short fuse, but no matter how angry he could get he would never have made comments such as he did. His accusations about the time she had spent with Ukitake could easily be forgiven, she knew he only said that out of jealousy it was painfully obvious from his reaction when Ukitake had placed his hand on her shoulder before leaving. But hopefully if Ukitake had been talking with him and had told him everything that had gone off surely he would see how very wrong he was about that.

It was two other comments that had made her feel unsure about the whole situation, but she was having difficulty deciding which had hurt her the most. Was it him questioning the trust between them, or was it him thinking that she didn't care for him by wishing he was dead?

Unohana came out into the corridor and placed one restraining hand on his shoulder "Captain Hitsugaya I must insist that you be treated for your injuries first"

"Rangiku?" she almost crumpled at the softness in his voice.

Steeling herself she spun round slowly to face him, "Yes Captain Hitsugaya?" she replied, and noticed that he flinched at her harsh tone and the use of his proper title.

She could tell he was having trouble replying to that, while he was busy struggling with what to say to her, she took in his appearance. He looked exhausted and utterly defeated, she noticed he had balanced all his weight on his left leg. She really needed time to think before they talked, and he looked awful.

"I don't want to talk to you yet" she saw the hurt in his eyes "Not just yet, I need time to think" she gave him another look over "Besides you look like crap, you should get healed up and sleep a bit" she turned on her heal and started walking away again.

"Rangiku I'm sorry!" she paused it was so tempting to run back to him, she could tell by his voice he was sincere "I'm sorry if I hurt you"

Then he just managed to ruin it completely. She spun around again and placed her hands firmly on her hips and glared at him "Your sorry 'IF' you hurt me?" she saw the confusion in his eyes "Of course I'm hurt Captain, you seem to think that I'm not loyal to you any more, you think that I wish you were dead and you question my trust in you? What about your trust in me?" she turned again and stomped her way down the corridor.

She had no particular destination in mind and when she stopped to take in her surroundings, she found that she had ended up in the fourth divisions gardens. Following the path boarded by perfectly manicured shrubs she made her way round to the back of the infirmary seeking out a specific cherry blossom tree. When she had reached it she did a quick scan of nearby spirit pressures. It seemed her Captain was still at the treatment room, this particular tree was easily viewed from the room her Captain had been occupying since the attack. She sat down and leant her back against the tree trunk. This would be the perfect place to think, she wasn't too far away and would know when Toushiro was back in his room.

Closing her eyes and blocking out any other disturbances, she relaxed her mind and turned her awareness inwards, seeking out her inner world and Haineko.

* * *

Carrying their special cargo with care and ghosting through the central library, making their way deep down to the abandoned areas of the vast library, the Watcher made their way to the special room they had set up. Standing in front of a bookcase the Watcher flicked their wrist and the kido barrier that had been cleverly used to disguise the door as another bookcase, dissolved allowing them entry.

Stepping into the room they placed their stolen cargo down and turned their attention to the collection of computer screens. There was ten altogether but so far they had only managed to set up five. It was sensitive work sneaking around the Seireitei. During the day it was impossible with the sheer amount of Shinigami roaming around, there was too many variables to consider. It was much safer during the night, the cover of darkness helping immensely however great care and patience would be needed for this particular task. It just wouldn't do to be discovered. For now they would set up their little game of chess and wait for the right moment for maximum impact before they struck.

They had taken steps to ensure Hitsugaya's and Matsumoto's pillar of support would be taken down first, and soon. However things hadn't gone to plan how they would have liked it, maybe some more intervention would be called for.

Leaving their secret room and checking that the Special Ops hell butterfly they had strategically placed opposite the room was still in working order, the Watcher made their way once again out of the central library. Once the Watcher was outside the library they extended their senses to make sure they wouldn't run into any unexpected disruptions. Satisfied of the whereabouts of the eight division leaders, the Watcher made their way cautiously towards the eight division barracks.

It hadn't taken too long to get there and reaching the administration building, it became quickly apparent the Captains office had been empty for some time. Trying the door the Watcher was relieved it had been left unlocked, making their job somewhat easier.

Making their way through the deserted office, the Watcher made a beeline for the Captains desk. Rummaging through the drawers they came across a tiny little key that was used to unlock the cabinet that sat in the corner of the room.

Unlocking the cabinet and opening it up, the Watcher found row after row of sake bottles. Picking one off the back row they unscrewed the lid and pulled a vial out of their pocket and poured the tiny amount of powder into the sake bottle and screwed the lid back on, they gave it a swirl and placed it back in line. Locking everything back up and putting the key back in the drawer the Watcher carefully made their way back out of the eight division and disappeared back into the night. There was still a lot of work to accomplish before the real game could begin. Tonight was going to be a busy night.


	18. Chapter 18

Hello back with another chapter already :D I struggled with the last chapter, but this one just flowed out of my mind no problem and its my longest chapter yet. Hope you all enjoy it because I really enjoyed writing it for you ^_^b

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Someone To Lean On Chapter 18

Fluttering his eyes open it didn't take Hitsugaya long to determine he was back in the same room he had been occupying for the last few weeks. Judging by the light flooding in through the window he guessed it to be around noon. How long had he been sleeping?

After Unohana had healed his injuries, she made him eat some hot soup and then ordered him to rest and informed him he wasn't allowed any visitors, which he was actually grateful for. He had felt exhausted and drained and had a lot on his mind. Usually when his mind was going over things sleep would be impossible, however he had managed to drop off rather quickly. He had a sneaky suspicion that Unohana had probably slipped something in his soup to induce sleep.

Getting out of the bed he was glad to find that his knee felt perfectly normal, in fact all the injuries from the past couple of weeks were fully healed, apart from the wound on his forehead. Touching it lightly with his fingers he found that he had a trail of stitches from his hairline down to his eyebrow. He could feel a slight headache and felt a little bit light headed, but he just put it down to hunger, seems he had been sleeping for a long time. Scanning the room he noticed someone had kindly placed Hyourimaru on the sword stand in the corner of the room. On the chair was his set of clean uniform and a spare haori neatly folded up, along with a pair of tabi and sandals.

Ditching the infirmary gown he had found himself wearing he began to get dressed when a light knock at the door interrupted him. Luckily he had the bottom half of his uniform on "Enter" he replied, and heard the door behind him open.

Turning around his visitor unsurprisingly was Captain Unohana "Ahh Captain Hitsugaya, its nice to see you awake at last" she greeted calmly.

"How long have I been asleep?" he couldn't help but ask.

"About twenty two hours, your body had been under a lot of strain, it needed the rest" Unohana closed the door and sat down in a nearby chair "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine" he knew Unohana wouldn't be satisfied with that answer alone "My injuries are causing me no trouble" he reached over to the chair and picked up the top part of his uniform and began putting it on.

Unohana had to suppress the sigh from escaping her lips "Toushiro, I am well aware of the condition of your physical health. I have monitored it closely since you arrived in here a few weeks ago. Aside from the stitches in your forehead and possibly a cold forming, you have a clean bill of health. I am satisfied enough to discharge you today"

"So why did you ask?" he managed to keep the irritation out of his voice.

"I was asking because I wanted to get an idea of your emotional state" Unohana replied "The events of the last couple of days have been somewhat concerning"

Unohana was half expecting some sort of angry outburst from him, however he folded his arms across his chest and slowly walked over towards the window, looking out upon the garden. She couldn't be sure if he was simply thinking or trying to ignore her, maybe he just felt uncomfortable talking about this, it was hard to tell with his back to her.

She was about to change the subject she was convinced he wasn't going to comment, he was a reserved person and usually kept his feelings to himself, he surprised her however when he actually answered "I suppose your not referring to the fact that I sneaked out that night, correct?"

Not giving her time to answer he carried on "I expect your concerned as to what could have possibly set me off in such a rage that I would hunt down and attack Ukitake such as I did? Although I'm pretty confident that Ukitake has already told you everything about that"

"He did mention it to me, however it was nothing new to me that I hadn't already figured out for myself Toushiro" he turned back around to face her "I had noticed the growing tension on your part well in advance"

"I see, so you should know from talking to Ukitake that we have resolved the issue, so really there is no need for concern" he replied attempting to divert the conversation away from where it was headed. He really didn't want to talk about his feelings regarding Matsumoto, the only person he felt comfortable talking about that sort of stuff to, was in fact Matsumoto.

Knowing full well when she was fighting a losing battle Unohana decided to switch tactics "Toushiro, I know you feel uncomfortable talking about your feelings, and I'm not going to push you into talking about Rangiku, all I can offer is advise"

Keeping his expression neutral he gave a little nod "Go on" he said politely.

"Give yourselves time" she saw the look on his face that he didn't quite understand and decided to elaborate "It was clear to everyone in that corridor that Rangiku wasn't ready to talk. You both need time and space to calm down and think about what you want to say when the time is right to talk"

"Is that your professional opinion on this matter?" he asked quietly.

"No Toushiro, its my opinion as a friend" she replied with her motherly smile.

Silence fell between them which Unohana broke first "I'm releasing you from my care now Toushiro, however I have a few guidelines I insist you follow. Firstly you need to get plenty of rest, I'm releasing you from the fourth but I still think you need some more time to recover before returning to your duties. I have spoken to the Head-Captain and he has agreed to let you join Juushiro and Shunsui in the investigation however I insist that you avoid stressful situations and further injury"

"I will try" he replied thinking of the inevitable conversation between him and Matsumoto and wondered how the hell to accomplish that calmly. He picked his haori up off the chair and slipped it on over his shoulders. Then bending down he pulled on his tabi and sandals. He then walked over to the sword stand and picked up Hyourimaru and slung him over his back "Is there anything else Unohana?"

"Only that I want to see you again in a weeks time for a check up and to remove those stitches, they should be ready to come out by then" she informed him "Other then that, you are free to leave when your ready"

"Thank you Unohana" he said still in his quiet voice "Thank you for everything"

Unohana placed her hand on his shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze "Its OK, you don't need to thank me" she opened the door and turned to him "I will escort you to the main entrance, I have business to attend to down there" Hitsugaya gave her a nod of agreement and stepped through the door after her.

* * *

When Hitsugaya stepped out of the fourth division he took in a deep lungful of fresh springtime air. It felt nice to finally be free from the place, he was grateful for all the medical care he had received however it would be nice to not have people fussing over him so much.

Unohana's orders had been simple, he was to rest and relax, avoid getting stressed and was not allowed to return to duty as of yet. So that meant paperwork was out of the question, he automatically thought of the monstrous piles that were no doubt waiting for him it was habit after so many years, however that thought was quickly squashed when he remembered Matsumoto telling him it had been well covered.

His thoughts straying to Matsumoto caused a lonely pang within him, which was quickly followed by guilt. He missed her it was that simple. Extending out his senses he found that Matsumoto's pressure was nowhere in the Seireitei, she was most likely masking her whereabouts. He then sought out the whereabouts of Ukitake and Kyouraku, he felt their pressure's at the first division's meeting hall along with Yamamoto. That ruled out helping with the investigation for the time being until he could talk to them and figure out where to start and what possible leads to follow up. He supposed he could check up on his division and see how things were running but would that fall under the 'No work, just rest and relax' order? For once he felt at a bit of a loss not really knowing what to do with himself.

A particularly loud rumble from his stomach made the decision for him, he would head back to his division and get something to eat from the kitchens. If he happened to glance in the administration building en route so be it. Concentrating on finding Matsumoto's pressure one more time he sighed, Unohana was right give her some time and space, even though he wanted to rush over to her right this minute to be by her side. Rather then rushing to his division with shunpo, he decided the walk would be better for him, to give him plenty of thinking time.

* * *

He had just passed by the sixth division barracks when he heard someone running up behind him, he resisted the urge to look behind him and decided to use his senses but there was no need when a shout of "Shiro-chan" reached his ears.

In a flash he felt his childhood friend fall into step beside him "Momo, its Captain Hitsugaya, at least try to remember" he said as way of greeting.

He stopped walking and turned to face her "Toushiro I thought you was still being treated in the fourth?" she had stopped too.

"I've just been released Momo, in fact I was just on my way back to the tenth" he folded his arms into his sleeves.

"So are you feeling all right now? There were rumours going around that you had memory loss" he caught the hint of anxiety in her voice.

"I'm fine really, I just find some things a bit hazy still"

"Like what?" she asked curious "Maybe I can help you remember some things"

"Well its not everything, just one specific thing really" he closed his eyes slightly he could feel a deep throb in his forehead "I remember attending a Captains meeting that day, and returning to the office, after that its a big blank, till I woke up in fourth"

"Do you remember me visiting you?" Momo asked.

Hitsugaya closed his eyes, a sharp pain flashed through his head again followed by a rush of images. Focusing more on the images he chased them trying to see if it was something he could recall, was it a memory returning?

"_SHIIIIIIRRRRROOOO CHANNNN!" Hitsugaya grimaced as his childhood friend burst through the door. _

_Planting a fake smile on his face he turned to his friend "Hello Lieutenant Hinamori, what can I do for you?"_

"_Shiro-Chan that is so mean, you don't need to use such formalities with me" _

Yes it was definitely a memory "I think so Momo" he was cut off by another flash.

_Feeling his eye brow twitch"That's Captain Hitsugaya to you, stop calling me that stupid name and maybe I'd call you less formally" he knelt down to start picking up the fallen paperwork, "What brings you here anyway? Is there a reason or did you just want to bother me?"_

"_Don't you remember? I said I would drop by to see if you could make it to dinner tonight"_

"_Yes I remember but unfortunately as you can see I'm up to my neck in it, plus I have the evening patrol to do tonight" he could feel the shift in her mood from cheery to irritated._

"_Cant you send someone else to do it?" she snapped "Like that lieutenant of yours" glancing over to Matsumoto's desk "I see she isn't here again like usual, dumping all the paperwork on you"_

"_Lieutenant Hinamori that's enough, Just because Matsumoto isn't here doesn't mean she isn't working, now if you don't have any official business here please leave I'm too busy today and have a lot to get done" he got up and slammed a pile of paperwork on his desk._

"_Well I'm sorry you feel that way" retorted Hinamori turning on her heel storming out and slamming the door on the way._

Had he really been that irritated with his childhood friend at the time? He felt appalled that he had treated Momo that way, just brushing her off like she didn't matter to him.

"Toushiro are you feeling OK?" he snapped back to the present hearing Momo's question looking at her he felt guilty, despite how he had treated her she was still here showing concern.

"Toushiro..?"

It was the same situation with Rangiku, she had been by his side the majority of the time while he had been in the fourth, and how did he thank her? By shouting at her in a fit of jealousy and rage. Why did he manage to hurt the ones closest too him so much? Why did he always push them away?

"Yes... I remember Momo, you happened to stop by at a bad time. I was up to my neck in work and I took it out on you" he looked into her chocolate brown eyes "I'm sorry Momo" seems he had been saying that phrase a lot lately, but to the one person it really mattered, it had made things worst.

"Its OK Toushiro, I'm just glad to see you up and about again, I was worried about you"

He was about to reply by thanking her when another part of the memory flashed through his head causing another stab of pain in his temples.

_He sighed and went back to picking up the paperwork and candy, he jumped slightly when a pair of hands covered his eyes from behind, he turned to face Matsumoto and opened his arms for a hug, she melted into him and planted a soft kiss on his lips._

"_You know Captain, if you just told her about us maybe she would get the message and stop with the childishness"._

"_Maybe, or maybe not, or she could snap altogether and run me through with a sword" he planted a kiss on her neck._

"_Do you really have to do a patrol tonight?" she purred in his ear._

"_Yes I'm sorry, I know you was looking forward to that picnic on the roof we have been planning for weeks now, I know patrol duty can be boring but do you want to come with me so we can still spend time together?"_

He felt his stomach flip at the memory, it was the first actual thing he remembered of this so called patrol everyone kept telling him he had gone on. Another thing stood out from this memory, Rangiku advising him to tell Momo about their relationship. If he was honest with himself, was he being selfish by keeping it from her? He had been worried about her reaction, what if she saw him as more then friends and his rejection upset her so much she stopped being his friend altogether and he would end up losing her as a sister too. He saw her as his sister, she was family. Then he thought about how he felt knowing that Ukitake, Rangiku and Shunsui were keeping things from him. How much damage it had caused. Rangiku...

"Momo.." he began taking a deep breath, he can do this "There's something I've been wanting to tell you"

* * *

Thirty minutes later he finally reached the tenth and strolled through the main gates with only one thought on his mind...Food.

His sides were aching with hunger, he was so hungry he could eat an entire pack of meno's if they were tasty enough. His only destination was the kitchens, nobody was going to stop him and he be damned if he fainted in front of his subordinates.

To take his mind of the hunger pains he ran through the conversation he just had with Momo. There really had been nothing to worry about, she took the news of his relationship with Rangiku very well. She yelled at him first for keeping it from her for so long, then squealed loudly and threw herself at him hugging him tightly declaring embarrassingly loud "Her little Shiro-chan was growing up" she then let him go skipping away back to the fifth leaving him standing there bewildered. Woman truly were strange creatures. Rolling his eyes he continued his journey back to his division after another loud rumble from his stomach demanding to be fed.

Walking through the hallways of his division he was amused by his division members snapping to attention whenever he passed them, clearly they wasn't expecting to see him. He rounded a corner and saw his third seat heading towards him, he looked up from the paper he had been reading and when he saw him, he just about dropped the pile of paperwork he was carrying "Captain Hitsugaya Sir! I wasn't expecting to see you, we thought you was still being treated in the fourth" he bowed hastily out of respect.

"At ease, I'm just passing through" he replied in his calm and collected Captains tone.

"Sir, would you like a full report on the squads activities while you have been in the fourth?"

"No, its OK thank you, I have strict orders from the fourth to rest and not to work" he smirked slightly.

"I see Sir" his third seat shifted his grip on the pile of paperwork that had been slowly slipping out of his grip.

"I just need to attend to a certain matter then I will be retiring to my quarters" he began to walk away when his third seat called after him.

"Its good to see you back Captain"

He looked back over his shoulder "Thanks" he carried on in his hunt for food, as another loud rumble shook his ribs.

He felt somewhat relieved when he finally stepped inside the large dining hall and the smell of hot food cooking wafted over him. The few Shinigami who was sat eating their meals jumped to their feet when they saw him walk through the door, bowing their respects "At ease" he walked towards the counter area where the Shinigami who were scheduled to serve the meals for the day were milling around "Welcome back Captain" greeted one of his younger members "Would you like something to eat?"

"Yes please" he had a quick look at the food on offer "Could you have some of that and that" he pointed at the various things "and a bit of that sent to my quarters please" he looked up to see the young Shinigami exchange a strange look with the older Shinigami who was assisting him.

"Yes Sir, we,ll have it sent over shortly" they both gave him a nervous smile. Strange.

"Thank you" he was about to turn around and walk away when his eyes fell on a plate of watermelon.

"Would you like to take a plate of watermelon with you sir?" asked the older Shinigami, knowing her Captain very well.

"Thank you, don't mind if I do" he grabbed the plate that was offered to him and headed out the dining hall, making his way to his quarters.

* * *

Stepping through the door to his private quarters he pulled Hyourimaru over his shoulder and placed him on the sword stand that was fixed to the wall. He placed the plate of watermelon on a nearby table while he kicked off his sandals. He was about to pick up the plate again and step through into the living area when he was grabbed from behind.

His eyes were covered up obscuring his view, and a strong arm had clamped him around his chest, pinning his arms to his side. He struggled to free himself because the person holding him was obviously taller then him making his struggles useless, they were using the height difference against him by lifting him off his feet. He tried kicking the shins of whoever held him but all he met was air.

"If you stop struggling I will put you down Captain" came the voice of the intruder.

He stopped struggling immediately "Rangiku!" it was impossible to mistake that voice.

She placed him back down on his feet, and removed the arm she had clamped around his shoulders, however she kept his eyes covered up. "Do you trust me Captain?" he sighed inwardly, he guessed he deserved that.

"With my life Rangiku. I always have and I always will" he held his breath hoping he had said the right thing this time, desperately not wanting to mess up again.

He felt her shift slightly and felt her lips on his cheek "Good, then trust me now" he felt her push him lightly forward guiding him through his quarters "No peeking now Captain"

When she finally stopped guiding him she whispered in his ear "Ready?" he gave a little nod. She removed her hand that covered his eyes and he found himself standing in the doorway of his dining room he gasped loudly at the sight in front of him "Surprise" she grabbed one of his hands and pulled him lightly into the room.

Rangiku then let go and stood behind him, threading her arms around his waist and resting her hands on his stomach, and leaning her chin on his shoulder "What do you think?"

He was speechless. The room looked amazing Rangiku had placed hundreds of tiny candles around the room, which flickered warmly casting a lovely soft light around them. On the low table he used for eating she had set up a number of mouth watering dishes that smelled amazing, a quick look and he noticed they were all his favourite foods. Scattered on the floor, around the table and in between the many candles were hundreds of soft rose petals a romantic mixture of reds and pinks.

"Its amazing Ran" How could he have ever doubted her "I'm sor.." she placed a finger on his lips shushing him.

"Do you know what today is Toushiro?" she asked in a low husky voice in his ear.

He felt puzzled, clearly there was more to all this then he first realized, she took his silence as confirmation that he didn't know "I do believe Toushiro that today is our two year anniversary" his eyes widened at her words, how could he have forgotten that "But don't worry if you forgot, a lot of things have happened so I will let you off this year"

He turned around and wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her close and crashing his lips onto hers. She responded to his touch by wrapping her arms around his neck and deepening the kiss.

When they finally broke apart he smiled softly at her "Ran, I'm really sorry about what I said to you" once again she interrupted him with a finger on his lips.

"Shh, not a word Toushiro" she stood behind him again and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her hands over his stomach which gave a particularly loud rumble which he was sure she felt under her hands "First we eat" she started to guide him towards the table, while nibbling on his ear "Then we can talk"

"You know I regret stopping by the kitchens now and ordering some food to be sent here" he sighed.

"Don't be too disappointed when it doesn't turn up Captain, I gave them specific orders to not feed you anything under any circumstances" she replied still nibbling on his ear.

This made him pause "What would you have done if I was the sort to kick up a fuss about it?" he was known for being incredibly grumpy when hungry, apart from now.

"You wouldn't though, it would be setting a bad example to your subordinates and you wouldn't want to risk looking childish" she whispered softly "Besides, you hate eating in public, and seeing as your office is out of the picture, it was obvious you would send it here"

He turned slightly and captured her lips for another kiss "You know me too well" he grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the table. Everything looked amazing "Thank you Rangiku"


	19. Chapter 19

Hello! Just wanted to take the time again to thank everyone who has left me a review, I appriciate it greatly it helps me too keep going with the story knowing people care about what will happen next ^_^b

* * *

Someone To Lean On Chapter 19

It could be considered an unnecessary risk being out and about at this time of the day. It was early evening and the sun wouldn't be setting for another hour or so, yet here they sat, perched up in a tree using the many branches, leaves and blossom flowers for cover. It was unlikely that they would be spotted up here, yet it made the Watcher feel uneasy. They truly did prefer the cover that only darkness could bring, especially for this task.

The Watcher had been stuck up in this tree for the best part of two hours, the original plan had been to find a suitable hiding place, with a good vantage point that over looked the fifth division barracks, they chose this tree because it was close to the administration building. They knew the fifth division Lieutenant was currently in her office filling out paperwork, they had seen her arrive a short time ago. Satisfied with that finding, they had been about to leave. However the Watcher had found themselves quickly stranded when a unit of new division members entered the training ground which the tree was situated on. The training drills had finished thirty minutes ago, but a few of the new recruits were still milling around.

The Watcher cursed silently as time was precious. The special hell butterflies they had stolen from the second division had been very useful, it had taken some time but the Watcher had managed to place some in a few strategic locations. It had been obvious that Ukitake and Kyouraku would be conducting the investigation, although so far they had not shown any signs of making enquiries, hell they hadn't even spoken about it in either of their offices. Hopefully if this next stage of the plan went well, that problem would be quickly remedied.

The new recruits finally departed the training ground and the Watcher slipped out of the tree and dashed across the now deserted area in search of a new hiding place. Finding a more suitable place with a good view of the office door, they settled down and prepared to wait. By their estimate the Lieutenant should be finishing up and leaving in roughly an hour and a half.

* * *

Stirring gently Matsumoto let out a contented sigh and snuggled closer to her warm pillow. She could hear the steady rhythmic thud of a heartbeat and could feel the steady, comforting rise and fall of breathing. The pillow shifted slightly and tightened the arm that was wrapped around her waist, holding her closer. Fluttering her eyes open she found that her pillow was in fact Hitsugaya's smooth well built chest.

Placing a hand on his chest she began to slowly trail her hand down to his strong stomach, her fingertips tracing the various grooves of his well defined abdomen. She must have found a ticklish spot because when she ran a gentle finger over the area slightly to the left of his belly button, all of his stomach muscles scrunched up before smoothing out again as they relaxed. She would have to remember that spot for future reference she smiled amused at her little find.

She resumed her explorations with her hand again, this time trailing below his belly button around his pelvic area. She was just considering whether she should dip her hand lower and glanced back up to see if he showed signs of stirring. She was surprised to see two teal eyes looking back at her smirking, she returned his smirk with her most radiant smile.

"Having fun down there?" He smiled and leant in to kiss her forehead before trailing kisses down her neck then finally meeting her lips.

When they broke apart they simply lay there together holding each other close, enjoying the feel of each others skin and warmth.

Matsumoto leant in for another kiss, "It feels nice waking up next to you again" she replied once she pulled away from his lips.

"I missed you too Ran" he was now running his fingers through her fiery locks, with his free hand. His other arm was still wrapped around her slim waist.

Matsumoto closed her eyes again, enjoying the sensation. She thought back to the events of a few hours ago when she first ambushed him. His initial struggle was adorable in her opinion however she felt a stab of guilt when she realised it was probably distressing for him. She couldn't blame him though after being so severely injured in the attack. She had released him immediately she wanted to surprise him, not traumatize him.

The instant relief and calm that she saw wash over him showed her just how much he had been through lately, it was most likely he still felt some tension about the whole situation. He had tried to apologize to her again, but in her mind there really was no need for him to, she had accepted his apology back in the fourth after his fight with Ukitake. Yes his words had hurt at first but she wouldn't throw away what they had over a small misunderstanding. Once she finally got him to understand that, he actually started to relax.

They both enjoyed the surprise she had set up for him, it was nice to spend some quality time together without being in the fourth or having other people around them. Her goal was to help him relax, the plan was to eat, then talk and then share a hot bath, however not much talking happened, there really was no need for it, and they skipped the hot bath, and quickly found themselves in his bed.

Opening her eyes again she noticed that he was deep in thought with a puzzled look on his face, "Something wrong Toushiro?"

Hearing his name he blinked and focused on her, "I'm just feeling a little disorientated Ran" he looked towards the window frowning, then sat up and swung his legs off the edge of the bed.

"How so?" She too got up and manoeuvred herself so she was sitting on the edge of the bed next to him, she looped an arm around his waist and he responded by wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

"Its nothing really, I've just completely lost my sense of time. It felt like noon when I woke up in the fourth although I never actually found out, I don't know how long I was talking to Unohana for, or how long it took me to walk back to the tenth. I ran into Hinamori too and we spoke for a while."

"You spoke to Hinamori?" she perked up, aware that she may have sounded slightly jealous "What did you talk about?"

"She just wanted to see how I was, asked me if I remembered her visiting that day before the patrol, offered to help me remember things if I needed help."

She felt him shift slightly, "Ran are you OK? You're digging your nails into my side" she looked at him and registered what he said and quickly loosened her death grip on him.

He cupped his hand under her chin and lifted it so he could look her in the eye, "Ran, there is no need to worry about Hinamori, I followed your advise and told her about you and me."

Her eyes widened hearing that, "How did she take it?" she felt surprised at his statement, then another thought occurred to her, "Wait! You remember me saying that? Do you also remember what was said afterwards?"

"She took it surprisingly well. It was during the conversation with her that it came back to me. I had another flash" he got to his feet and raised his arms above his head stretching. Matsumoto giggled when she saw his butt cheeks clenching and flexing as he stretched.

He then turned around to face her again and held out one of his hands which she took. He pulled her up to her feet then wrapped his arms around her waist. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pulling him closer into her so he could rest his head on her chest.

"Yes, I remembered what was said between us afterwards, I actually recall us leaving the office now to go on that patrol." He swept his eyes around his bedroom, in their haste to undress each other their clothes had been tossed haphazard on the floor.

"I'm sure more will come back to you when you go along with Captain Kyouraku" she gave him a little squeeze.

"I... Will..." he stuttered out, sighing he tried again "Will you come along too Ran? I really could do with you by my side for this."

She rested her cheek on top of his head, breathing in the scent of his hair "Of course I will Toushiro." She would follow him to hell and back without question, and he knew that. However this was different although he would never admit it if he was scared or apprehensive about something, clearly he had some anxiety about what he would find or recall about that night. This time it wasn't an order from Captain to Lieutenant, this time it was a personal request and she recognized that he needed her by his side for this.

They had fallen into silence each contemplating their own thoughts, which she decided to break first "I'm going to have a shower" she pulled away from him and walked slowly towards the bathroom.

The tinkling sound of a hell butterfly fluttering through the window announced its presence with its familiar chime, which Hitsugaya automatically stretched out a finger for it to land on. When it had finished delivering its message it flew off into the night once again.

"Ran, that was Ukitake" he turned to see her hovering in the doorway that led to the bathroom, "He,s asked us to join him at his division in thirty minutes, seems he and Kyouraku have finished their business with Yamamoto."

"Well that settles that then" she walked back over to him and grabbed him by his hand and pulled him gently with her towards the bathroom "It makes more sense to shower together and save time" she grinned back at him.

* * *

Forty five minutes later Hitsugaya and Matsumoto dropped out of shunpo and landed outside the main gates leading to the thirteenth division. It was only a short walk to the administration building, and when they reached the door they paused as shouting could be heard on the other side of the door. Hitsugaya looked at Matsumoto raising an eyebrow in question.

"Its just Captain Ukitake's third seats Captain" she giggled seeing the look on his face "They can be a little bit loud at times" she stepped ahead of him and went through the door first.

Sighing Hitsugaya walked in after her, he disliked loud and rowdy people probably one of the reason why he never went with Rangiku when she went out drinking with her friends, even though they were in a relationship together.

As soon as he stepped through the door both the third seats came rushing over to him, simultaneously talking, raising their voices louder and louder trying to talk over each other.

"CAPTAIN HITSUGAYA SIR! LIEUTENANT MATSUMOTO!" they both yelled in greeting.

Hitsugaya thought his ear drums were threatening to burst and had to resist the urge to place his hands over them.

"Captain Ukitake sent a message to inform you he will be along shortly!" they both shouted at the same time.

Hitsugaya saw both of their eyes widen and they both turned to each other sending death glares.

"Hey Sentaro that was totally my line! Stop stealing my thunder!" Kiyone yelled in outrage.

"Oh cram it pipsqueak, Your the one that was copying me!" Sentaro retorted balling his hands into fists by his side.

"No way! Why would I ever copy you! You moron!" Kiyone cried indignant.

"What did you just call me?" Sentaro growled back.

Hitsugaya felt a tug on his sleeve and looked over to Matsumoto, she indicated for him to follow and they side stepped the two bickering third seats and went through the door that led to Ukitake's private office. When they shut the door it instantly cut off the loud argument and Hitsugaya thought he had gone deaf for a moment.

Matsumoto went and plopped herself down on Ukitake's couch making herself comfy "May as well sit down Captain while we wait" she stretched lazily acting like she belonged there.

"Ran we really shouldn't be in here without Ukitake's permission" he didn't like the idea of entering someone else's office without them present.

"Relax, Captain Ukitake said I was welcome here any time, its where I've been doing the paperwork since our office accidentally got damaged" she waved the concern away with a casual flick of her wrist.

"You mean vandalised" he added dryly.

She patted the seat next to her "Come and sit down Captain."

Knowing there was no use in arguing over it, he walked over and sat down "Fine, if you insist" he rolled his eyes slightly annoyed.

"Captain, do you know why Captain Ukitake asked us to come here?" Matsumoto asked slouching down into the couch so she could lean her head back, she closed her eyes too.

"He didn't say, he just mentioned that he wanted to see me before I go with Kyouraku on the patrol" he pinched the bridge of his nose, usually it was a habit of his when he was starting with a headache. This time however the feeling of unease running through him was making him feel tense, his body was subconsciously warding off the tension headache before he had even started with one.

Matsumoto opened her eyes she was about to glance at her Captain when she saw movement above one of Ukitake's bookcases out of the corner of her eye. She sat up straight staring at the spot she thought she saw the movement.

Hitsugaya noticed her change from being completely relaxed, to suddenly becoming alert and serious holding herself perfectly still, to be honest he found it startling "Ran what is it?"

"Shh" she held up a hand to shush him, she then pointed towards the bookcase indicating where she saw the movement, she then leant over to him and whispered in his ear "I saw something moving over there on top of the bookcase" she peeked back over but whatever it was had gone still.

"I don't see anything Ran" he was craning his neck to look where she was pointing.

"Its right at the back, tucked away in the corner" the only reason she saw it herself was out of sheer luck and how she had been leaning back, her line of vision was slightly above it when she had opened her eyes.

"Ran I cant see it" he blushed slightly before adding "I think its because I'm shorter than you."

Any other time that comment from him would have been highly amusing for her, but he was taking her seriously at the moment, so she would be serious too. She got up and went over to the bookcase, however it was fairly tall and there was no way she could reach the top of it.

She looked back over to Hitsugaya who was still sat on the couch straining to see what had caught her eye "Captain!" she called in a low voice to get his attention, he looked back at her and she waved him over.

"What is it? And why the need for whispers?" he asked with a wary curiosity.

She sighed and gave him a patronizing sort of look "The last time I saw something sneaking around an office, it was followed by a pretty big explosion Captain!"

"Is it the same thing Rangiku?" he asked immediately on guard.

"I don't think so, its a lot smaller but still, we need to find out what it is though!"

"How do you suggest we do that! Its not like either of us can reach up there Ran." he hissed out between his teeth.

She placed a finger on her chin and pouted, this was her customary look when thinking up a crazy scheme. Hitsugaya had to suppress a grimace, usually when she got that look it was usually bad news for him. Her eyes lit up and Hitsugaya literally saw the light bulb go off above her head, a second later he thought he knew what her crazy idea was.

"No Rangiku!" she gave him an amused look, impressed that he was on the same wave length "Whatever it is Ran, No!"

"Aww come on Captain, all you have to do is sit on my shoulders, I'm sure you,ll be able to see what it is no problem then" she gave him a smile she knew he couldn't resist.

"Absolutely not! Besides shouldn't it be the opposite way around?" he growled out.

"What do you mean by that Captain?" she asked with fake innocence.

"Shouldn't it be you sitting on my shoulders, rather then me sitting on yours?"

"Captain! Your such a gentleman, I didn't think about that. Well if you insist we,ll do it your way" she replied breezily. She began to use the bottom two shelves of the bookcase to give a little more height so she could slip onto his shoulders.

"Wait Rangiku stop! That's not what I meant" he tried batting her legs away but she was so adamant.

"Stop squirming Captain!" she yelled "I cant get my leg over" all sense of quietness going out the window.

No matter how much he struggled, she still managed to get her way. Now he was standing with Matsumoto sat on his shoulders with her hands partially covering his eyes and her large breasts resting on top of his head. All he could see in front of him was the bookcase, when he tried to look up she yelped as the movement nearly sent her toppling off backwards.

"Hold still Captain!" she scolded.

"Hurry up Rangiku, your heav... awkward to hold like this" he corrected quickly.

"Are you calling me fat?" she exclaimed loudly.

"No! Not at all" he shrugged his shoulders to shift her weight slightly "Its just the twins are trying to break my neck down here" he mumbled.

"I heard that Captain" she scoffed.

"HURRY UP WILL YOU!" He screamed starting to lose his patience.

She shifted her grip from his head and placed her hands on the bookcase to steady them a bit more, she felt Hitsugaya take a step closer. Stretching she reached up but her fingertips barely brushed the top of the bookcase.

"Hmm we have a slight problem Captain" she heard a mumbled reply and looked down, all she could see was a little tuft of white hair barely poking out from under her rack "What was that you said?"

"I said" he called a bit louder, clearly annoyed now "What is the problem?"

"I still cant reach" she grabbed hold of the bookcase as he shifted her weight again nearly toppling her off backwards again "I guess I know what it feels like to be you Captain, you know being vertically challenged and all that."

"MATSUMOTO!" The room suddenly dropped a few degrees.

"Don't be mad Captain, I'm simply stating its frustrating not being able to reach something."

"Oh Shut up!" he snapped.

"Hold still I got it now" she placed a foot on the nearest shelf she could reach, and lifted off his shoulders, using the shelves as a ladder she pulled herself up till her feet were level with his shoulders, then she stepped back so she was standing on his shoulders gaining more height. Hitsugaya gripping her ankles tightly.

"Can you reach now?" he asked trying to hide the strain from his voice he could feel his legs starting to shake.

"Yes!" Matsumoto rested her elbows on the edge of the bookcase and peered over the top, in the back corner she saw the thing that had caught her eye, reaching as far as she could she caught it between two fingers and plucked it towards her. When it was a little nearer she picked it up in one hand "Got it Captain."

The sound of the office door opening loudly and people walking in startled them both, Matsumoto yelped and lost her balance. Hitsugaya couldn't support her weight any longer and his knees gave out from under him, they both went crashing to the floor with a loud thump groaning loudly at the painful impact.

Luckily for Matsumoto she had a soft landing, because Hitsugaya was under her he broke her fall somewhat. Hitsugaya unluckily was flat on his back with Matsumoto straddling him, her breasts pressed uncomfortably in his face cutting off his air supply "Look Captain I got it" she held up her catch and he grumbled and struggled trying to get her out of his face.

A loud cough from the door pulled both their attentions to whoever had walked through the door, blushing madly Hitsugaya realised too late the compromising position they had landed in. He pushed Matsumoto off him and she fell, in an undignified heap to the floor, he stumbled to his feet and Matsumoto sprang back up to hers, to find Ukitake, Kyouraku, Nanao, Kiyone and Sentaro all staring back at them.

There was a few moments of awkward silence which Hitsugaya used to scan their faces. He saw that Ukitake had a bemused look, Kyouraku pulled his hat over his eyes but Hitsugaya had managed to catch the wolfish grin playing across his face. Nanao looked a bit shocked by their antics but had quickly recovered and had pulled her cool and composed face back on.

Forestalling any potential arguments from his two third seats Ukitake broke the silence by thanking them for showing Hitsugaya and Matsumoto in and dismissed them.

Ukitake closed the door behind them and turned back towards the squad ten duo "Do I even want to ask?"

"I can explain" Hitsugaya hurried to answer, before realising he really didn't have a clue "Actually... No I cant" this was one of Matsumoto's crazy schemes after all. He turned his head to look at her "Ran, care to explain?"

"It was a hell butterfly Captain!" she declared loudly to the room holding it up to show everyone beaming happily.

Hitsugaya face-palmed "Are you kidding me Rangiku?" he gritted his teeth together "All that for a hell butterfly?"

"Ran chan" Kyouraku's deep voice called out drawing both their eyes to him "Mind if I see it?"

Rangiku skipped across the room to him and placed it in his hand, one quick look at it and he cupped it tightly in his hands "This is no ordinary hell butterfly."

"What do you mean Shunsui?" questioned Ukitake.

"Juu, do you have a jar or something I can put it in" for once Kyouraku had a serious look about him.

Ukitake stepped over to his desk and started rummaging through its drawers. After a few moments he emerged holding an empty tin he used to store tea leaves "Will this do?"

"Yeah should do Juu."

Ukitake pulled the lid off and handed it over to Shunsui who then placed the hell butterfly inside then sealed the lid back into place. He gave the tin back to Ukitake "Keep this safe till we get back Juu, we really need to set off on the patrol, we'll meet back at the library in three hours and discuss everything fully, Nanao can you stay with Juu?"

"Yes Captain" Nanao replied looking closely at Kyouraku, it was rare she had seen him so serious.

Kyouraku turned to Hitsugaya "Ready to go Toushiro?"

Hitsugaya took a deep breath, the moment he had been feeling anxious about for the last few hours was finally upon him "Yes" he looked over to Matsumoto and nodded "Lets go Rangiku."

The three of them walked out the office door, Hitsugaya felt like a brick had landed in his stomach. He was not looking forward to this.


	20. Chapter 20

Someone To Lean On Chapter 20

"Sixty five bottles of sake on the bar! Sixty five bottles of sake! You take a round and guzzle it down! Sixty four bottles of sake on the bar!"

Hitsugaya gritted his teeth as the sound of his two companions singing loudly drifted to him from behind. He had walked ahead of them sometime ago in the hopes of drowning out the annoyingly repetitive song they were singing between them. All he wanted was peace and quiet so he could at least attempt to recall something, anything of the so called 'Attack' but he was a bit short on focus at the moment along with patience. It seemed the further he got ahead of them, the louder they sang, they were just so determined to annoy the hell out of him. His head was already throbbing painfully.

"You remember anything yet kiddo?" Kyouraku shouted loudly enough to wake the dead.

Hitsugaya bristled at the kid comment and was about to turn around and yell at Kyouraku but a sudden loud booming clap of thunder sounded over head, followed by a flash of lightening that interrupted him. He heard Matsumoto yelp, he knew she hated thunder he spun around to see if she was OK, but was alarmed to see that neither Matsumoto or Kyouraku was behind him any longer.

"RANGIKU!" he shouted as loudly as he could, but his voice was carried away by the strong gust of wind that had picked up.

Another loud clap of thunder boomed overhead followed by more lightening flashes across the sky, which caused a searing pain to flash across his skull at the sudden brightness. He held his head in his hands closing his eyes.

He felt a surge of panic bubble up from the depths of his stomach, stealing the air out of his lungs and making him short of breath. He tried gasping harshly for air trying to stem the feeling of being suffocated. He wrenched his eyes open searching frantically for any signs of Matsumoto's fiery red hair or Kyouraku's garish pink haori. He could see nothing through the suddenly thick sheets of rain lashing down on him. When had it even started raining? The sudden feeling of being completely alone out here was making his head spin. He was fighting the overwhelming urge to run, but when he tried to take a step forward his legs were trembling so bad they felt like they had turned to jelly. Closing his eyes again he dropped down to his knees and landed in a puddle splashing his knees and soaking the rest of his legs "Captain!" He felt a pressure on his shoulder squeezing it tightly

He felt a warm rush of relief spread throughout his body, instantly calming him when he heard Rangiku calling his name.

"Rangiku" he opened his eyes to see her directly in front of him, hands clamped tightly on his shoulders shaking him, worry etched in her face.

"Captain are you all right? We lost you for a minute there" she was peering into his face watching his expression closely.

"I'm fine Rangiku, we should probably hurry up before the storm gets worse" he rose to his feet and saw Kyouraku and Matsumoto looking equally confused at his statement "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Hitsugaya take a look at that sky. There is no storm approaching" Kyouraku supplied gesturing upwards to prove his point.

As soon as Kyouraku had mentioned it, he knew it was true without needing to look at the sky. There was no thunder, lightening or torrential rain now, and looking down at the ground there was no puddle and his legs were dry.

Had he just imagined the stormy conditions a few moments ago? Or was it maybe a snippet of memory? He looked up into the sky and it was a perfectly clear night, the moon and stars were glittering like jewels. Not a single wisp of cloud to be seen anywhere for miles.

"I heard it thunder, saw the lightening.." he trailed off, conscious of the fact that he probably sounded insane.

"Captain do you remember something?" Rangiku asked "You was a little bit ahead of us then you turned to face us and froze, then you dropped down to your knees."

"Ran was we out in a storm that night?" he reached for her hand and held it tightly in his.

"So you did have a flash of memory just then, it was horribly stormy that night Captain" Matsumoto gave a tiny nod of confirmation.

"Right we stay close from now on" Kyouraku said "We know where we found him" he pointed to the north-west where the ice column could be seen poking up against the skyline "Its a good bet the closer we get the more he is likely to remember."

Looking at his surroundings to regain his bearings, he saw that they were approaching the western gate. He felt a brief feeling of deja vu but when he tried to latch on to what felt familiar about it, it faded away from him. Leaving him with a prickly feeling between his shoulder blades, almost like the feeling you got when someone was watching you. An involuntary shudder ran up his spine and he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

He squeezed the hand he was holding tightly, and felt Matsumoto squeeze his hand in return to reassure him that she was still there. He couldn't be sure but either someone was watching and following them or it could be his anxious mind and broken memories playing tricks on him but either way the whole situation had him on edge.

He looked at Matsumoto and she caught his eye and a silent agreement passed between them. This time they were staying together no matter what happened.

* * *

"Well Captain, this is where we parted ways that night" Matsumoto declared as they stopped outside the western gate.

They were standing a little away from Kyouraku who was busy getting a full report from Jidanbou. He held each of Matsumoto's hands in his own and pulled her slightly closer "Ran tell me" he shifted his weight around on his feet "Why did we part ways here? Did I order you to..." he froze, the deja vu feeling had returned again.

Matsumoto was about to say something but he held up a hand to silence her. He closed his eyes and instead of chasing the feeling he blocked out all other thoughts and relaxed his mind, trying to encourage it to trigger some sort of recognition.

_Everything seemed fine apart from the storm, but he couldn't shake the feeling of being watch or followed, he first noticed it when they was close to the southern gate but Matsumoto didn't appear to have noticed anything at all, pausing in his tracks he did a quick scan for any unusual reiatsu signatures._

_"Something wrong Captain?" he glanced over to his partner who stood shivering and rubbing her arms for warmth, feeling slightly guilty for dragging her along , they had been only an hour into their patrol when the rain had started and ten minutes later it turned into a full blown storm, they had been out here close to two hours at this point._

_"You can head back to the barracks Rangiku, this was my patrol I didn't order you to come along, besides I should only be another thirty minutes tops"._

_"Shall we meet back at the office Captain?"_

_Pulling out his soul phone to check the time, 9:30pm "Hmm." _

_"Meet me in the office at 10:30pm if I'm not there by 10:45 go on ahead to the meeting, if I'm running short on time I will just head straight there and catch you up"._

_"Take care Captain" giving him a quick hug and a parting kiss, she shunpoed away leaving him to finish the walk alone._

"Do you remember something more Captain?" Matsumoto asked, eyebrows knitting together with concern.

"Yes" he looked up and gave a quick nod to Kyouraku who had rejoined them after receiving Jidanbou's report "I sent you back to the division, I felt guilty having you out here in such a bad storm..."

"But that's not all is it Hitsugaya?" questioned Kyouraku, his eyes were hidden under the shadow of his hat "I'm positive there was another reason why you sent Ran back other then a bit of water. Am I correct?"

Matsumoto glanced between the two men, Hitsugaya was looking down at the ground again but gave the tiniest nod and Kyouraku's eyes were still hidden by his hat making his expression unreadable, she was missing something here "Captain... What is going on?"

"I expect it was a similar case to what happened in the office, to you and Juushiro" Kyouraku lifted his hat out of his eyes and levelled his gaze on her.

"He's right Rangiku" Hitsugaya finally raised his head and looked her in the eye "It started near the southern gate. I had this feeling of being watched and followed, but you didn't seem to feel anything and that concerned me."

"So you sent me back, knowing full well you was in danger" Matsumoto tried to keep any emotion out of her voice, but failed to hide the hurt she suddenly felt.

"I didn't know what it was Ran" Hitsugaya placed his hands on her shoulders "I sent you back to keep you safe. I know full well you are a capable fighter but something felt different about it, something felt wrong."

"If that is all you recall so far Hitsugaya" Kyouraku turned on his heel in a flurry of pink silk and began walking the final leg of the patrol "We should move on."

Hitsugaya allowed him to go ahead a little way and turned to Matsumoto "I know you probably feel like I pushed you away that night and I'm sorry.." before he could get the rest of the sentence out she had crashed her lips against his to shut him up.

"I'm sure you had your reasons Captain" she grabbed his hand and yanked him off into the direction Kyouraku had gone off in "Lets see what we can find at the ice column, maybe then you,ll stop acting like such a nervous wreck."

* * *

Staring up at the ice column there was no doubt in his mind that it had been created by Hyourimaru. He placed his palm flat against the ice and could feel the familiar hum of his reiatsu residing amongst the pillar along with something else, something foreign almost like an unwanted splinter in his finger. He dropped his hand and stepped back a few paces to rejoin Matsumoto and Kyouraku who had decided for the best to stand well back, just in case.

"There's something inside for sure, hard to tell exactly what though" he folded his arms across his chest in his usual manner.

"Well are you going to release whatever it is then Hitsugaya-kun?" Kyouraku had his head cocked up scrutinizing the ice pillars.

"Captain just exactly how do you release the thousand year ice prison? I cant say I've ever actually seen you do it" Matsumoto asked curious.

He snorted loudly at that comment "I like how you assume I can release it" he smirked at their twin looks of surprise.

"Are you saying you cant do it Hitsugaya?" Kyouraku asked mildly shocked.

"What I'm saying is, I can count the number of times I have used the thousand year ice prison on one hand. If the situation forces me to use that move its usually because the situation is dire. Never before have I released whatever I have been forced to imprison, usually because whatever I have trapped within doesn't deserve to see the light of day again" he explained "Its not a case of not being able to release it."

"More like you don't know how, because you have never had to release something before" Kyouraku finished for him.

"Exactly" he looked over the ice pillars before dropping down to the floor and crossing his legs "If you,ll just excuse me, I will be right back" and with that he closed his eyes and relaxed his mind.

Kyouraku shared a glance with Matsumoto "Zanpakuto talk" he then grabbed his twin swords from his waist and advanced towards the pillar "Might as well see if we can chip away the ice while we wait" he raised the larger of his two swords and with a heavy swing he slashed at the ice in a wide arc.

A loud pain filled cry escaped from Hitsugaya's mouth and Kyouraku stopped dead halfway through his second strike, and turned to look at the young Captain whose spirit energy had spiked. His whole body was glowing with his icy blue energy swirling angrily around him in a whirlwind making his hair whip around his face and his haori flap around behind him. He had risen to his feet and his eyes snapped open glowing menacingly, his teeth bared in a feral snarl. Just like a dragon, a very pissed off dragon.

Matsumoto gasped. "Captain!" she made to run over to him but Kyouraku held her back.

"Don't Ran-chan" he pushed her behind him and dropped his swords to the ground and held up both his hands "My mistake I mean no harm, I didn't realise it would cause you pain" after a few moments the angry glow in his eyes faded away and the snarl left his face. His spirit energy settled down and the raging whirlwind around him died away, he sunk into his previous position eyes closing once again.

"Captain Kyouraku, what just happened?" Matsumoto whispered hardly daring to move "Why did Toshi just do that?"

"It wasn't Hitsugaya's doing Ran-chan, that was purely Hyourimaru just then. I think by striking the ice just then the dragon thought I was attacking" They both spun around to face the ice pillars and saw the slight dent in the surface that Kyouraku had managed to chip away.

"Hyourimaru was just being defensive, my reiatsu runs deep within that ice, by attacking it you are also by extension attacking both of us" Hitsugaya spoke up from behind them.

"Captain! I wish you wouldn't sneak up on us like that" Matsumoto whined pouting at him.

"Welcome back kiddo" Kyouraku smirked at him "So do you know how to release this thing now?"

"Yes" Hitsugaya placed his palm against the ice once again, any normal person would have flinched away from the harsh coldness within seconds "And its ridiculously easy too."

Tuning into his energy trapped within the pillars, he allowed his mind to flow within the ice, riding along with his reiatsu, reaching out through the entire structure, becoming one with the ice "Brace yourselves" he warned before raising his spare hand and clicking his thumb and finger together.

The whole structure shone in a blindingly white light before shattering into millions of tiny shards, which glittered like diamonds in the moonlight and rained down on them like a hail storm, tinkling musically as they scattered to the ground.

"Wow this is so pretty Captain" Matsumoto squealed loudly bouncing happily on her feet.

Once the ice shards had finished their decent back to the ground, Kyouraku began his search and knelt down to rummage through the shattered ice for clues. Hitsugaya went to help but his attention was stolen by Hyourimaru's insistent roar in the back of his mind demanding his attention urgently.

'Master' rumbled Hyourimaru in his mind with his familiar deep voice.

'Hyourimaru, what is it?' he thought back.

"Hitsugaya check this out for evidence" Kyouraku shouted over to him but he hardly registered him, his attention was focused fully on Hyourimaru.

"Captain?" Matsumoto called when he didn't answer. He tuned them both out for the time being, Hyourimaru seemed agitated.

'Master, I cant hold these memories back any longer, I'm losing my grip on them.'

'What do you mean Hyourimaru? Why have you been holding them back?'

'This is going to be rough Master, once it starts there will be no stopping it, you will have to ride it out to the end' he could have sworn he could hear the strain in Hyourimaru's voice 'Brace yourself Master.'

'For What?'

Just as the thought entered his brain on how he should brace himself, an intense wave of pain flared up through out his entire body sending him to his knees. Searing hot pain flashed through his skull making him see nothing but white. It literally felt like someone was cleaving his skull in half. He clasped his hands to the side of his head cradling it, in some vain attempt to rid it of pain. His heartbeat was pounding frantically in his ears. He gasped for breath realising how hard it was to breathe, the feeling of being suffocated upon him once again. He felt his stomach knot painfully, his limbs shaking uncontrollably. What was happening to him.

'Master here it comes' he was vaguely aware of Hyourimaru's voice, then when he thought things couldn't get any worst the floodgate opened and he was bombarded with images flickering through his mind one after the other. They was going much too fast, it was impossible to focus on any one image. These images he determined were memories of his, but not just from the patrol. They was from his earliest memories of being in the soul society from when he first arrived. His whole life was literally flashing before his eyes.

The onslaught of images in his mind had started to slow somewhat, and when they reached the point where Matsumoto had left him during the patrol it had slowed down to a normal pace. He was now reliving that part of the patrol in his own mind. Watching the events unfold from the sidelines.

_Continuing on he was definitely sure now that someone or something was indeed following him. Every time he stopped it stopped, when he moved on, it too would __move on always maintaining the same distance from him. Perched up in the trees. So far it hadn't even attempted anything hostile towards him, luring it along for a bit longer was definitely the best option for now till he could figure out what its intentions were. Looking ahead he could just make out the torches burning in the brackets either side of the northern gate just coming into view, then the answer he needed hit him. It wanted to slip in through the gate behind him unnoticed. It wanted to sneak into the Seireitei._

So he was being stalked that night, he mused as he watched the memory play through his mind. He was waiting for the vital piece of the puzzle, the moment where the thing attacked him. Everyone had been telling him for the last few weeks that he had been attacked and badly injured, he wanted to remember it for himself. He continued watching and was amazed to see himself hurl a ball of kido at the thing in the tree and saw it crash down to the ground, where it its prone form stayed for several long minutes.

_He had been waiting for some sign of movement, he knew the thing could move if it wished to, the paralyse kido only lasted for a few minutes tops. He had managed to get a good look at it in that time, it was sprawled out on its back. It had a basic human shape sporting two legs, two arms and a torso, it looked like it was made of the thickest blackest smoke, it lacked any kind of solidness, its arms and legs shimmered and billowed, yet it was so compact together and the denseness of the smoke made it look solid at the same time. Its head was also in the human form like the rest of its limbs, but for its face it had a white bone mask, plain and simple with two holes for its eyes with the letters D.A printed on its forehead. It had the face of a hollow._

Seeing the letters D.A printed on the mask triggered another memory, he recalled Ukitake telling him about the office prowler, he claimed that it had the same letters on its forehead. So there it was, what happened to him was connected with the office incident.

He carried on watching the memory half expecting the thing to jump him at any moment, but was shocked to see that it was him prodding the thing with his sword that caused it to react.

He was so absorbed in the ongoing fight that it made him jump slightly when he heard Matsumoto calling him, her voice sounded faraway and distant, like she was calling down to him at the bottom of a very deep well.

"Rangiku?" he was surprised when his voice came out as an echo.

By now the memory had reached the part where he had used his bankai, looking at himself he saw the wounds he had received to his chest and back, but it still didn't explain why he had memory loss all this time. Didn't Unohana say he had a severe head wound?

_"BANKAI! Daiguren Hyourimaru!" Sprouting his icy dragon wings as he merged with Hyourimaru he rose up into the air putting some distance between him and his opponent. Firing off a quick paralyse kido towards the hollow knowing it would pass through it, the hollow as expected chose that moment to solidify once again and charged towards him leaping high up into the air to reach him. Being prepared he fired off another quick kido spell, this time a high level binding spell, it slammed into the hollow stopping it dead in mid air forcing it to crash back to the ground. "Sennen Hyoro" Using all the moisture from the surrounding area multiple pillars of ice began rising up from the ground surrounding the immobile hollow, growing taller and thicker as they went, drawing closer together until finally they connected trapping the hollow within it, freezing it instantly, there was no escaping for it now._

Now the fight was over he felt very confused. Firstly he was never attacked like everyone had assumed. There was no denying what he just witnessed, he had initiated the fight it was him who attacked first. Why did he do that?

He watched the memory as he put Hyourimaru away, and pulled out his soul phone. His eyes widened as he watched himself spin around and lose his footing on the ice, his knee gave way and he fell forwards dropping his phone and cracking his head against a boulder. Ouch.

Darkness descended upon him then, and a few moments later he seemed to come back to himself. His head was throbbing painfully and he blinked his eyes a few times to clear them. He saw that he was in a kneeling position, and his limbs were shaking uncontrollably. He finally remembered how to breathe again and took in deep lungfuls of air.

"Toshi speak to us are you OK?" Matsumoto asked panicked.

He could feel Matsumoto kneeling in front of him with her hands on his shoulders steadying him. He tried to lift his head but a wave of pain ripped through his skull making him feel dizzy, sending his vision into a whirling spin. His arms finally gave out from under him and he lurched forward, fortunately Matsumoto's firm hold on his shoulders prevented him from meeting the ground.

He felt an arm snake around his middle and Matsumoto released her grip on his shoulders and stood up.

"Ran-chan hold on to these for me" he heard Kyouraku ask.

He then felt himself lifted of the ground then set down gently on his feet, the arm holding him firmly to make sure his legs wouldn't give out too.

"Are you feeling all right Kiddo?" Kyouraku asked.

He tried to answer but Kyouraku's deep voice sounded like it was booming in his head, sending another wave of pain and dizziness through it. His stomach rolled uncomfortably, and he desperately tried to push Kyouraku's arm away from him, he could feel the contents of his stomach rising rapidly. He managed to break free and fall to his knees again before throwing up on the grass in front of him. When the retching finally died down, his whole body went weak and he promptly passed out, collapsing into the puddle of vomit.

* * *

Ukitake was sat at his desk finishing off the last report of that days paperwork, looking over to the couch he saw Nanao deeply absorbed in the book she had brought along. He placed the writing brush down and stretched before getting to his feet. Sensing his movement Nanao glanced at him.

"I was going to make myself some tea, would you like some too?" he asked smiling kindly.

Nanao placed the heavy book down on the table and got to her feet "Sounds good Captain Ukitake, but allow me to make it."

"I cant let you do that, your my guest" Ukitake protested.

"Its fine Captain, I really don't mind" Nanao headed towards the door that led to the kitchen.

Ukitake was going to protest further but the sound of his office door bursting open made him jump till he realised it was Matsumoto who had barged her way in, followed by Shunsui trailing close behind her. He felt alarmed when he saw Hitsugaya tossed over his best friends shoulder apparently unconscious. They made their way over to the couch and placed him on it.

Ukitake rushed over to them "Shun what happened to him?" he demanded glancing down at Hitsugaya, he saw his face was pale and sweaty, yet he could see his brow creasing ever so slightly and he noticed that his fingers were twitching.

"I don't know Juu, he's been acting off the whole time we've been out there" Kyouraku replied "He seemed fine one minute then the next he was on his knees clutching his head."

"That's not true" Matsumoto spoke up, she looked at both the Captains and carried on "He's been agitated all night, and each time he recalled something he seemed to be in pain."

"The kids ill, and if he is in pain like you said Ran-chan we should take him back to fourth for Retsu to check him over" Kyouraku said he had moved away from the couch and was perched on the edge of Ukitake's desk.

"Maybe he is just in shock" Matsumoto turned away from the couch to face Kyouraku "It cant have been easy for him returning to the scene of the attack, I just don't think we should take him to to the fourth just yet."

Ukitake had been watching Hitsugaya the whole time while Kyouraku and Matsumoto had been talking back and forth. So far he had to agree with Matsumoto, it seemed like he was simply in a bit of shock, and it seemed to him that Hitsugaya was starting to stir. His eyes had been twitching and when he decided to share this fact with them he saw Hitsugaya's eyes flutter open. His teal eyes seemed confused and started roaming before meeting his own gaze, he gave Hitsugaya a reassuring smile and he seemed to relax slightly.

"He collapsed, passed out, fainted, blacked out I don't know which, take your pick, but either way that is not normal and we should take him to the fourth" Kyouraku stated, although he was generally a laid back person, this was really bothering him.

"I'm not going back to the fourth" Hitsugaya's eyes widened at the mention of going back to the fourth.

Matsumoto was back kneeling in front of the couch in a flash "Toshi are you OK? You scared me out there."

He made to sit up and groaned as the movement made his head throb and his vision swim.

"Try not to move too fast Toushiro, just take it easy" Ukitake said, he looked over his shoulder and saw Nanao coming back into the room with a tray of five steaming cups, which she set down on the low table near the couch.

Ukitake grabbed one of the cups and passed it to Hitsugaya "Here Toushiro, get this down you."

When Ukitake was satisfied that he had drunk enough tea and the colour had returned back to Hitsugaya's face only then did he ask the burning question everyone wanted to know "Toushiro, what happened out there? Do you remember everything now?"

"Yes... I remember everything now" he lay back down on the couch sighing.

"Do you want to tell us about it Toshi?" Matsumoto asked intrigued.

Ukitake was the only one who noticed it before Hitsugaya answered, but he saw something flash across the boys face before throwing an arm over his head, draping it over his eyes. He couldn't be sure but in the brief second he saw it, it looked like either embarrassment or shame.

"My head is throbbing, can we talk about this later" he replied shortly.

Kyouraku pushed himself off Ukitake's desk "Look its late now, Hitsugaya needs some rest, we,ll meet up in the library tomorrow and discuss everything we know and take it from there" Ukitake nodded and Kyouraku made his way over to the office door "See you tomorrow, lets go Nanao-chan."

When it was just the three of them left, Ukitake looked at Hitsugaya and saw that he was completely exhausted. One quick glance at Matsumoto and she was in the same boat, he bent down and scooped Hitsugaya up into his arms.

"Ukitake what the hell! Put me down" he protested loudly, but he chose to ignore him and turned to Matsumoto, and indicated for her to follow him.

He carried Hitsugaya through the door that led to his private quarters and turned off into the guest room, and dumped him as gently as he could on the floor, not such an easy task with Hitsugaya thrashing around.

"Your welcome to sleep in here tonight" and he walked back out the door "Good night" and he closed the door and headed for his own bedroom before Hitsugaya could start protesting further.

Something was wrong with Hitsugaya, and it was obviously something he remembered about the patrol. It was clear as day that he felt uncomfortable talking about it. He would keep a close eye on him for a few days, and hope he would share what he knew soon.

* * *

Well guys I hope you have all enjoyed this chapter, I decided to leave saying what I wanted to say till the end. As always a quick thankyou to everyone who was kind enough to leave reviews, I really love all your comments. And now for the news - Firstly my doctor has put me off work for another month, my poorly knee is still not good enough to work on, so that means more time to write this story yay ^_^b.

Secondly, I have had a couple ideas for a few other stories that I may write when Im finished with this story, your responses to this story have been very encouraging and I feel a bit braver to attempt some more. Let me know how you feel about it. Its most likely to be a Ukitake fic, or a Shunsui/Nanao fic, and also I was thinking of posting the original one shot of this story which is pretty funny.

Let me know what you think, I look forward to hearing your comments on the matter =D


	21. Chapter 21

Hello! This chapter took a bit of work to get done, the deeper into the story we go, the more I need to carefully plan out the chapters. Would,nt want to accidently slip up and spoil the mystery ^_^ Thankyou again to all my reviewers, cant believe I'm at 80 reviews :D I have the next few chapters mapped out and hopefully I should still be able to update regularly. Happy Reading!

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Someone To Lean On Chapter 21

The next day around noon Ukitake was making his way towards the Eighth division along with Hitsugaya and Matsumoto who were walking a little ahead of him hand in hand. Ukitake was walking at a slightly slower pace mindful of his aching chest. When he had woken up that morning his chest felt tight and he felt a little light headed. He recognized the symptoms well and as long as he didn't over exert himself and took it easy, his illness shouldn't flare up too bad.

The plan for today was to collect Shunsui and Nanao then all head over to the central library together. They had collected quite a bit of evidence between them, now it was time to lay it all out before them and try to make sense of it. He could hear the hell butterfly Rangiku had found on top of his bookcase rattling around inside the tin in his haori pocket, trying to find freedom. He didn't have chance to look at it before Shunsui had put it in the tin, but from what he told him it was a different type of butterfly then the standard issued one. The fact that it was planted in his office made it suspicious.

He stopped walking when he felt a twinge in his chest but managed to stifle any cough that may have tried to escape. Carrying on with the walk he rounded the corner of the walkway that led to the Eighths main office and nearly bumped into Hitsugaya and Matsumoto who had stopped when they saw he was no longer behind them.

"Ukitake are you OK?" Hitsugaya questioned.

"I'm fine thank you Toushiro" he smiled at Hitsugaya hoping that his face wasn't looking pale and giving him away. The young Captain gave him a long look before turning on his heel to walk the last few steps to the office.

When he had moved ahead a bit Matsumoto linked her arm through Ukitake's and walked the rest of the way with him, humming happily. Hitsugaya had reached the open office door and was stood at the threshold frozen, his white hair a stark contrast to his ears and neck that had turned crimson.

Ukitake shared a look with Matsumoto both arching an eyebrow, before coming up behind Hitsugaya and peeping in the open doorway. The source of Hitsugaya's embarrassment was quickly apparent. Shunsui had perched Nanao on the edge of her desk, he was leaning heavily into her and her arms were wrapped around his neck and shoulders in a tight embrace. One of Shunsui's arms was wrapped around Nanao's waist pulling her closer to him. His fingers from his spare hand intertwined in her hair which had come loose from the hair clip she always wore. Ukitake felt the heat rise to his face seeing Shunsui and Nanao sharing such a passionate kiss and felt guilty at interrupting them, however certain matters required their attention.

So with a quick and well practised clearing of his throat he gained the pairs attention, they both froze when they heard him and snapped their heads in his direction. Shunsui looked annoyed at being interrupted, while Nanao looked like a deer caught in headlights, blushing furiously. She quickly recovered and dropped her hands from Shunsui's shoulders and placed them against his chest. With one big push, she shoved him away from her and he fell with a thump to the wooden floor.

"So mean my lovely Nanao-chan" Kyouraku pouted from the floor "Juu why did you have to interrupt like that? It was getting to the good part!"

Right on cue a thick, heavy book that was sat on Nanao's desk flew across the room hitting Kyouraku squarely in his face "This is exactly why I wont allow our private life into the office Captain!" Nanao slid off the edge of the desk glaring at Kyouraku her eyes flashing in anger.

"My lovely Nanao-chan, you didn't complain so much yesterday" Kyouraku countered with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Ukitake interrupted them before the argument he saw brewing before his eyes could kick off "Shunsui we,ll meet you at the library OK."

With that said Ukitake beat a hasty retreat with an embarrassed Hitsugaya and a grinning Matsumoto in tow.

* * *

An hour later Hitsugaya was following Kyouraku, who was leading them all through an unfamiliar section of the central library. The library housed the entire history and knowledge of the Seireitei. Any type of information that ever existed could be found somewhere in here preserved perfectly. Whether it was a book or a data file on the computer system it would be stored here somewhere amongst the many, many shelves and bookcases.

"I still think its a bad idea to be discussing the investigation in a public place like this" Hitsugaya huffed.

Kyouraku looked over his shoulder at him and grinned "Don't worry kiddo, Juu and myself have decided to let you and Rangiku in on one of our oldest secrets."

Hitsugaya arched an eyebrow, curiosity plastered across his features.

Ukitake who had been walking behind Hitsugaya rested his hand on Hitsugaya's shoulder "You,ll see soon enough, its just around this next corner."

They rounded the corner and walked down a narrow walkway with tall bookcases lining the sides. Hitsugaya could tell this section of the library rarely had visitors, the shelves on either side of him were covered with a thick coating of dust, and the air here was musty and stale. A few of the lamps mounted on the walls were not working, throwing sections into long dark shadows. It felt claustrophobic and abandoned, like time itself had forgotten about this place. Hitsugaya was wondering why no one had chosen to come down here for so long, and what type of books were housed in this part of the library.

Hitsugaya walked into Kyouraku's back when the tall man decided to stop abruptly with out warning, causing him to rebound off him and loose his footing. He bumped into a bookcase, which sent a thick cloud of dust into the air. Ukitake who had been behind him this whole time clamped his hand over his mouth as the dust he breathed in triggered a violent coughing fit.

"Juu are you OK buddy?" Kyouraku asked.

When the coughing fit died down Ukitake took a few deep breaths "I'm fine" he waved their concerns away not wanting to worry any of them.

"Why did you stop like that?" Hitsugaya sighed.

"Because Hitsugaya-kun, we have arrived" Kyouraku grinned down at him.

"A dead end?" Hitsugaya stepped around Kyouraku to have a look, and was surprised to see that the bookcase marking the end of the walkway was the only one in this abandoned part of the library that wasn't thick with dust.

Curious he stepped forward and ran a hand over the spines of the books all neatly stored together, he selected a book at random and pulled it out, his eyes widened when he realised what it was "These are children's books. Who would have thought something like this would actually be stored in this library" he flipped the book over to look at the front cover.

"Yare Hitsugaya-kun, last time I checked not a single Shinigami has a kid in the Seireitei" Kyouraku answered.

"Take a closer look Toushiro" Ukitake prompted smiling at him.

Hitsugaya looked at the book and blinked. No way. He pulled another book out at random. This one two? He pulled each book out in turn looking at the name of the author. When he had seen every book on the case he looked up to see Ukitake beaming at him. Matsumoto was looking confused while Kyouraku and Nanao both seemed to be in the know already.

"Ukitake, you wrote all of these children's stories?" he finally asked in disbelief. Matsumoto came up behind him looking over his shoulder.

"Yes Toushiro I did, many years ago now" Ukitake was standing beside them now.

"Its a shame there are no children to read these" Rangiku pondered aloud.

"Maybe one day that will change and I will be an uncle" Ukitake glanced momentarily towards Shunsui and Nanao "Or maybe a grandfather" Matsumoto's eyes lit up when she realised what Ukitake was hinting at.

"Anyway" Kyouraku said moving forward halting that particular topic before Nanao and Rangiku could get any ideas "There is more to this bookcase then Juu's collection" he pulled his Zanpakuto from his waist and placed the butt of the hilt against the bookcase, in a small indentation that Hitsugaya only just noticed was there.

The outline of Kyouraku's sword glowed pink, and in the blink of an eye the bookcase vanished revealing a thick steel door that had been concealed using a special type of kido "Once either Juu or myself invite you in here, you will always be welcome to return here kiddo, your sword is the key to unlock the room" he motioned for them to enter and followed them in closing the door behind him.

"This has been our secret for centuries Toushiro" Ukitake pressed a button and lights began to flick on around the room, revealing what could only be described as a considerably smaller version of the Daireishokairo that was found deep in the lower levels of the central 46 "Shunsui and myself are the sole guardians of this highly classified location. If central 46 even caught wind that it existed" Ukitake trailed off he didn't even need to say what would happen if anyone caught wind of this place.

"Other then us five here, only old man Yamamoto knows of its existence. If that freak Kurotsuchi knew of this place he would have a heart attack, his database has nothing on ours, as far as top secret data goes" Kyouraku was guiding them over to a corner where a few comfy chairs had been placed around a low table "So tell me Toushiro, is this still too public for you?" he asked winking at him.

Once the five of them were seated around the low table Kyouraku wasted no time and went straight to business "Toushiro can you tell us everything that happened to you that night."

Ukitake who had been watching Hitsugaya closely saw the same brief flash of emotion cross his face just like the previous night, before the young Captain quickly schooled his features into his calm mask. It seemed nobody else noticed it.

After a long moment of silence Hitsugaya spoke up "I'm still trying to get my head around what happened, but I can tell you it was one of Kurotsuchi's experiments" his eyes went oddly unfocused Ukitake noticed as he fell into silence again, he was about to prompt him for more information when Hitsugaya turned to Kyouraku "You mentioned that you found some evidence?"

"We sure did" Kyouraku got to his feet and went over to the far wall. He placed his hand over it and a panel slid away revealing a hidden storage cupboard, he grabbed the bag which the items were stored in, and brought it over to the table.

"Firstly this is the mask Juu recovered from your office" he pulled the mask out of the bag and placed it down on the table "And this is the one that you trapped inside the ice column" He held up two pieces of the mask, it had been split down the middle "As you can see, they are both identical" he then placed the two halves next to the first mask.

"Secondly, Ran-chan found your soul phone" he placed the smashed up remains on the table too "We found this little device with the mask, its so tiny we could have easily missed it" the small device was barely the size of his little finger nail.

"And finally" Kyouraku was digging down to the bottom of the bag "This" he produced a tiny see through orb and placed it down on the table with the rest of the stuff "And lets not forget the hell butterfly from your office Juu."

Ukitake pulled the tin out of his pocket and handed it to Kyouraku who opened it carefully and pulled out the hell butterfly to examine it closer. He had only been looking at it for a few seconds before he dropped it to the floor and stamped on it.

Kyouraku looked up when he heard both Matsumoto and Nanao gasp and saw the shocked expression on their faces "Relax, it wasn't a real hell butterfly" he bent down and picked up the pieces and placed them on the table "See, it was artificial and if I'm not mistaken this is a Special Ops hell butterfly."

"How are Special Ops butterflies different from regular ones?" Nanao asked curious.

"Well, as you can see they are artificially made, other then that I couldn't say. Captain Soifon has always kept the Stealth Force and their workings secret" Kyouraku replied.

Silence fell in the room, Matsumoto was looking at the broken mask putting the two pieces together frowning. Suddenly her eyes lit up and she lunged forward reaching over the table for the small device, drawing everyone's gaze to her.

"Ha! It fits" she declared after a few more minutes of fiddling with the mask.

"What have you got there Ran" Hitsugaya asked leaning over to her.

"That little device fits perfectly into this little indentation near the D" she held it up so everyone else could see.

Ukitake straightened up in his seat and grabbed the other mask. He ran his finger over the letter D and found where the indentation was "This one is the same, its a lens of some sort. See?" he turned it around to show them "I noticed it before back in the office."

Kyouraku sorted through the parts of the butterfly he crushed and fished out another similar device. Although he was looking at it his eyes were far away and distant, lost in thought.

"Shunsui, think back to that meeting when we learned of the stolen experiments" Ukitake had risen to his feet pacing "Didn't Soifon mention that a crate of Special Ops butterflies had been misplaced?"

"Yes she did" Kyouraku replied absent mindedly "And your thinking the same thing as me Juu. They don't seem so 'misplaced' now."

"Which leads to more questions" Ukitake sighed "Were the masks created with the lens already inbuilt, or is it a recent modification by the person who stole the experiments."

"If its the latter then its safe to assume they stole the entire crate of butterflies too, which creates an even bigger problem just what do these things do, and how else are they being used?" Kyouraku rubbed his chin absent-mindedly while thinking "We found this in your office, is someone trying to spy on you? I cant see it being an accident."

The two older Captains fell silent both lost in their own thoughts, Matsumoto was reclining back in her chair with her eyes closed, while Nanao disappeared into another room to make tea. Hitsugaya was sat running the glass orb through his fingers trying to make sense of the strange object.

"What do you suppose this thing is for?" Hitsugaya spoke up, the glass orb cradled in his hands.

* * *

Ukitake was sat down slouching into his chair, his elbow propped up on the arm rest leaning his cheek on his hand. He was only half listening to the flow of conversation around him. It was very easy to lose track of time when ever they entered this place, by his estimate they had been here close to five hours already. He was feeling the need to get out of this stuffy chamber, his chest was feeling noticeably tighter and every now and then a wave of dizziness washed over him, making his vision blur.

They all decided long ago that it would be for the best if Shunsui went to the twelfth to see if he could squeeze more information out of Kurotsuchi regarding the experiments. Shunsui said he had a hunch that the insane Captain knew more about what was happening then he originally let on.

At the moment Shunsui and Toushiro were discussing the hell butterflies again. He closed his eyes briefly as he felt the room sway, he heard Shunsui call his name and as he opened his eyes, he felt the familiar hitch in his chest as a cough tried to escape. He tried to hold in a little air to suppress the coughing, which would work for now. He patted the top of his chest, which was feeling tighter than before.

Both Shunsui and Toushiro were gazing at him, so he forced his warmest smile to his face, hoping they would be non the wiser. Thankfully the light in the room was dim enough to help mask his paling face.

"Juu, Hitsugaya-kun has suggested making enquiries at the second, see if we can find out exactly what the butterflies do and what this device is."

"Sounds like a plan" he replied. There was an irritation in his throat that made him cough lightly. He was suddenly aware of the heat in the room, it felt stifling "Any ideas on what that orb may be?"

"Nothing concrete, but Nanao ventured a guess that its some kind of object you pour spirit energy into, or maybe its used to hold a store of kido" Shunsui was staring intently at him now "She thinks she may have read about something similar before."

He tried to reply, but something caught in his chest, the cough he tried to suppress earlier forced its way out. He coughed harshly into his right hand, his lungs straining under pressure in his aching chest.

"Juu!" Shunsui crouched down in front of his chair "Are you feeling OK?"

"Maybe its time we called it a day, we have been in here awhile, the air is kinda stuffy in here" Toushiro said frowning.

He held up a hand "I'm fine, really" he cleared his throat "Toushiro's right, I'm just ready for some fresher air."

Twenty minutes later they stepped out of the Central library and each headed off to their separate destinations. Kyouraku and Nanao headed for the twelfth while Hitsugaya and Matsumoto set off for the second division promising to stop by the thirteenth once they had finished gathering information. Ukitake started his slow stroll back to his own division, breathing slow and steadily trying to ignore the chill running over his skin.

* * *

Outside the main entrance to the twelfth division, Kyouraku halted before entering and turned to Nanao "Can you do me a favour Nanao-chan?"

Nanao quirked an eyebrow annoyed at the nickname "Captain?"

"I don't expect for one minute that Kurotsuchi will cooperate with me, therefore while I'm busy trying to get information out of him, he will be distracted. Can you try and find anything out you can from his subordinates, do a bit of digging around if you can" Kyouraku requested, not wanting it to sound like an order.

"I will try Captain" Nanao adjusted her glasses then walked through the main entrance at a brisk pace, a woman on a mission. Kyouraku couldn't help smiling to himself.

It didn't take him long to navigate his way to Kurotsuchi's private research lab that served as his office. He slid the metal door aside and swept his gaze around the room which appeared deserted "Hello is anyone home?"

He could feel Kurotsuchi's presence nearby on the other side of the room, seems the clown faced Captain was ignoring him in the hopes that he would go away. Yes Kyouraku sighed inwardly Kurotsuchi was going to play difficult. Never mind though, two can play that game.

"Looks like no-ones here" he said aloud while stepping into the room. Walking past a few bookshelves that lined the walls, he approached a control panel that sat opposite to the door. He made to touch the control panel "Well if that's the case then, I will just..."

"I don't recall inviting you to come in" the rusty voice of Kurotsuchi spoke up from somewhere in the gloom.

Kyouraku grumbled to himself, that got his attention. Peering over his shoulder he saw Kurotsuchi swivel around in his chair, his arms folded across his chest glaring at him.

"I'm surprised to find Captain Kyouraku creeping around acting like a common criminal" Kurotsuchi said gold eyes narrowed in annoyance.

Kyouraku turned around fully to face him "I thought I was acting like an exceptional thief" he raised his right hand to rest it on the brim of his straw hat.

"Why don't you tell me exactly what it is that you want" Kurotsuchi's face lacked any emotion, however his eyes held a deep hatred for Kyouraku "I may not look like it, but I'm very busy right now."

"I've been doing a bit of investigating and I was hoping you could provide me with a bit of additional data" he replied stepping forward a few steps.

"Really... What sort of data?" Kurotsuchi snapped back.

"Data regarding your stolen experiments, surely you must have some information stored away concerning them" Kyouraku replied with a neutral face and an even voice.

"Of course I do" Kurotsuchi screeched "However it wont help you out. All the information I have stored on them, you already know about."

"Well then, since its data I already know about, then it shouldn't be a problem to let me access it. Right?"

"I decide what is a problem and what isn't" Kurotsuchi replied dryly "Seems to me as a Captain of another squad, your overstepping your authority to even be here in the first place."

Kyouraku grumbled under his breath, looks like he was going to have to appeal to Kurotsuchi's ego "But that's the very reason why I came to see you" he replied in his easy manner "Who better to come to then the Captain of the department of research and development, as well as the greatest mind in the Seireitei. Am I right?"

"If you want to access our data, I'm afraid you will have to go through the proper channels like everyone else" Kurotsuchi replied stubbornly.

Kyouraku sighed he was getting nowhere "If I did that it could take a good three months" he kept his gaze levelled on Kurotsuchi. He could feel a faint pressure hovering just outside the door in the hallway, the person had been there sometime now. He was fairly sure he knew who it was listening in. He did a quick scan and picked out Nanao's pressure somewhere near the main work area some floors below.

"That's true" Kurotsuchi continued on with his screeching voice that reminded Shunsui of rusty hinges "I know data such as this may seem trivial, but you must understand. If everyone neglected to go through the proper channels, my position would lose all meaning and authority" he finished with a cold look on his face.

"So... I take it your not giving me the data?" Kyouraku said nonplussed.

"I'm afraid not" Kurotsuchi replied adamant.

Kyouraku lowered his hat, hiding his eyes muttering under his breath "I hope you burn" He noticed that the pressure which had been hovering outside the door had moved away and was heading down the hallway.

"Huh? Did you say something?" Kurotsuchi snapped irritated.

"No! Nothing at all!" he replied breezily, turning to leave. He had only taken a few steps when he paused and looked back over his shoulder "Oh by the way. I made up that nonsense about you having the greatest mind."

"Hmm?" Kurotsuchi narrowed his eyes.

"There are some nasty rumours about you though, but I guess if you want to find out more about them. I'm afraid you,ll have to go through the proper channels" he replied patronizingly before turning away and walking out the door.

He could hear Kurotsuchi's tirade as he walked down the hallway, he could pick out individual words like 'rude' and 'arrogant' causing the smirk on his face to grow into a large grin. Although he didn't get the information he needed, it did help him confirm his suspicions that Kurotsuchi was hiding something. The fact that he managed to wind him up in the process was an added bonus.

Some minutes later he was back on the ground floor, he could feel Nanao's pressure close by. He swept around the corner and saw her peeping into a doorway, with her back to him. He clamped down tightly on his own pressure and padded lightly over to her not making a sound. He stopped when he was right behind her and leant forward to whisper in her ear "What are you looking at Nanao-chan?"

He was delighted when she jumped violently and heard a small yelp escape her lips. She spun around flustered, eyes wide open and cheeks reddening "Captain!" she glared at him.

"Was my naughty little Nanao-chan doing something she shouldn't be doing?" he asked grinning. He reached behind her and closed the door to, then wrapped his arm around her shoulders and started guiding her down the hallway towards the exit "So did you manage to dig anything up?"

"No Captain, They either didn't know anything, or they would inform me that they didn't have the authority to answer my questions. How about you, any luck?"

"I got nothing, Kurotsuchi was being the usual stubborn bastard that he is. However it proves to me that he's hiding something."

Nanao was about to reply but held her tongue when a doorway they just passed by opened. She paused in her tracks when she felt someone grab her wrist. Kyouraku stopped walking when he felt her resistance and turned to see Nemu in the open doorway. Nemu looked both ways down the hallway then beckoned them both to enter the room.

"Captain Kyouraku" she greeted in an emotionless voice.

"Lieutenant" he acknowledge tipping his hat to her "I assume that presence I felt outside of Kurotsuchi's lab was you. Am I correct?"

"That would be correct Sir" she replied bowing "I really shouldn't be doing this, if Mayuri-sama finds out he will be furious."

"Doing what?" Kyouraku questioned.

She turned away from them and picked up a medium sized square box and placed it in Kyouraku's arms, then extracted a disk from inside her robes and handed it to Nanao "Mayuri-sama has kept it very quiet, but in the last few weeks several other items have been stolen. There is a full list on that disk of what's gone missing, also I downloaded the data regarding the Dummy Arrancars that my Captain was reluctant to give to you. The data is quite extensive and goes into great detail on how to pilot and control the Dummy Arrancars."

"Thank you Lieutenant this will be a great help indeed" Kyouraku replied gratefully "Can you tell me what the deal is with this box?"

"Its a Dummy Hollow that we supply the academy with, it works on similar grounds to the Dummy Arrancars . It should help you understand better" she bowed to them again "Now I must insist that you leave immediately, I need to get back to the lab."

After thanking Nemu again they departed from the twelfth, after a quick scan showed that Hitsugaya and Matsumoto had finished with their business at the second and was already back with Ukitake, they too headed in the direction of the thirteenth.


	22. Chapter 22

Hello Back with another Chapter, this one took alot of planning. Thankyou to everyone who left reviews. Happy Reading ^_^

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Someone To Lean On Chapter 22

Walking along slowly in silence Matsumoto glanced out the corner of her eye at Hitsugaya, who was looking straight ahead with a frown playing across his features and a faraway look in his teal eyes. She knew better then anyone else when her Captain had a lot on his mind, and right now it seemed like he was drowning in his thoughts. For him to take the long way back to the Thirteenth was highly inefficient, it would have been more practical to use Shunpo, which would have taken only twenty minutes tops to get back from the Second.

If he was taking his time like this, whatever was on his mind must really be bothering him. They had been walking for an hour now and not a single word had passed between them. He just wasn't himself at all.

She traced it back to the previous day. Before they went on the patrol he seemed edgy and nervous. During the patrol he was agitated and at times damn near panicked. The biggest change in him came after he'd blacked out, but he still seemed to be avoiding that particular subject. Why though? Since then he's been acting increasingly distant. Even at the library earlier, he wasn't as involved with the investigation as he normally would be, although he was interacting with the discussions, she knew he was preoccupied with something else.

The last time she could recall him acting like this was in the months following the winter war. Guilt was the main reason back then, he shut himself away in his private quarters for days on end. Not this time though, this time it was something completely different.

Looking at the nearest building she sighed quietly when she saw the kanji for squad seven, they still had five more divisions to pass by. She did a quick shunpo that planted herself directly in front of him. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him into one of her infamous hugs. His protests were muffled and his struggles useless, she shunpoed again and kept going till she dropped out a few minutes later on the rooftop of Ukitake's office.

When she released him he stumbled back gasping for air "What the hell Rangiku!"

She turned away from him and walked to the edge of the roof and sat herself down, dangling her legs off the side. As expected he came over and sat down beside her. She rested her head on his shoulder, and he responded by draping his arm around her shoulders pulling her closer.

"Rangiku" he began, but she placed a slender finger on his lips to silence him.

"I wish you would tell me what's bothering you Toshi, you've not been yourself since the patrol last night" she stated watching his facial expressions closely, wondering if he would deny it and try to leave.

He turned away from her but made no attempt to leave, although she noticed he looked considerably uncomfortable.

"I know you don't always feel comfortable talking about your problems, but you should know by now you can tell me anything and I wont judge" she looked at him, was that a hint of embarrassment just then?

He turned to face her and took in a deep breath releasing it slowly "Rangiku, do you want to know why I decided I wanted to walk back here?"

She shook her head no, and decided to refrain from asking questions now he seemed willing to talk.

"I know I've been pretty distant today, there's lots of thoughts swirling around in my head" he turned to look up at the stars dotting the night sky "I just needed time to make sense of a few things. Only problem is the more I try to make sense of them, the more confusing it gets" he returned his gaze to her and smiled "That's why I wanted to walk back, I wanted to run a few things by you, see what your perspective is on it, before I tell the others" he leant in and placed his palm against her cheek "Well that was before you decided to abduct me" he smirked.

"I'm sorry Toshi, but after what happened the last time you got all distant on me, lets just say I wasn't going to sit around and let it happen for long this time" she replied honestly. Recalling the months following the war, he'd been so full of guilt because he fell for Aizen's illusion and accidentally ran Momo through with Hyourimaru. He had locked himself away in his quarters and after two weeks of not seeing him in the office, she decided enough was enough and she broke into his quarters expecting to see him moping around. What she did not expect to find was her Captain sprawled on his living room floor unconscious, due to lack of nutrition.

"Is it something to do with the Patrol?" she asked.

"Its everything to do with the patrol" he sighed deeply "After the fight with the Dummy Arrancar, I was in fairly good shape. Yes I had the back and chest wounds and I hit the back of my head when it slammed me into a tree, but other then that I was fine."

Matsumoto sat up, her full attention on him now "So how did you get that horrific wound on your forehead? What caused you to lose your memories, did you get ambushed by another Dummy Arrancar?" Again she saw a brief flicker of embarrassment cross his face.

"Will you promise me, you wont repeat this to anyone else Ran" he asked seriously.

"Of course I wont repeat it to anyone else Toshi, you know you can trust me."

"Good because I would hate having to make it an order" A loud harsh coughing fit reached their ears from down below, after several long minutes of retching and hacking it quietened down again. Hitsugaya rose to his feet "We should see if Ukitake is OK."

Matsumoto reached out and grabbed his wrist to stop him from jumping down off the roof, he turned looking at her in surprise.

"Yes we should see if Ukitake is OK, and No I'm not letting you go until you tell me what it was, that you wanted to tell me Captain" she added rather stubbornly "You did just swear me to secrecy" and no way was she letting him avoid this any longer.

"Fine" he yanked his arm out of her grasp and faced her "Just don't laugh OK."

"I wont laugh, as long as you quit stalling and just spit it out" she replied.

"Fine, I got this head wound" he pointed to his forehead where he still had his stitches in "When I hit my head rather hard against a boulder" he folded his arms across his chest and sighed "It was after I trapped the experiment inside the ice prison, I turned around and my foot slipped, my knee twisted and gave out from under me, I fell and hit the boulder" he turned away from her expecting her to laugh any minute.

She closed the distance between them and hugged him from behind, resting her chin on top of his head "While its pretty ironic that you slipped on the ice created by your own Zanpakuto Toshi, accidents like that do happen. There's no need for you to feel embarrassed about telling me that" she leaned down to plant a kiss on his cheek "When we found you that night, I thought you was dead. I'm sure in a few years time we'll probably look back and laugh about it, but for now I'm just glad your still alive and by my side."

Hitsugaya turned to face Matsumoto resting one hand on her waist and using the other behind her neck to pull her closer, he captured her lips in a long kiss. When the need for air forced them to part he moved his lips down to trail light kisses up and down the column of her neck "I love you Rangiku."

"I love you too Toshi" she replied slightly breathless, hugging him close.

They stayed like that for several minutes each enjoying the feel of the other, both reluctant to move feeling happy in each others arms. Another loud round of sharp shattering coughs broke the silence of the night grabbing their attention. They pulled away and jumped to the ground hurrying through the door that led to Ukitake's office.

* * *

Leaning heavily on shaking arms and trembling knees Ukitake slowly raised his head and tried to take in a few steady lungfuls of air, fighting the painful hitch of his lungs. His chest felt tight and he couldn't hold back the sudden coughs that shook his entire frame, his chest squeezing and burning as he fought for air. When Ukitake finally stilled gasping for air he raised his head again and felt his vision swimming, he closed his eyes and concentrated on breathing. Gradually the coughs became fewer and less violent, his throat felt raw and the trembling in his limbs melted away leaving them weak. For now it seemed like this fit was retreating.

He wasn't aware anybody had entered his office till a pair of sandal clad feet came into view and stopped before him. Said person dropped down to their knees and rested their hands on his shoulders and pushed him back gently, taking his weight off his palms.

"Ukitake" came the worried voice of Hitsugaya.

He raised his head to meet Hitsugaya's gaze and gave him a weak smile "I'm fine Toushiro" he managed to wheeze out, his voice was scratchy from his raw throat.

"Like hell you are" Hitsugaya shifted to his left and pulled Ukitake's arm over his head and rested it over his shoulders, while wrapping his other arm around the sick Captains waist "Lets get you off the floor shall we" he straightened up from his crouched position, supporting the majority of Ukitake's weight.

If Ukitake hadn't felt so weak and ill he would have marvelled at the shorter Captains strength, he was sure he was twice the height and weight of him. He let himself be led by Hitsugaya who dragged him over to the door that led to his private quarters "Rangiku can you get the doors please" she hurried over and opened the door and stepped through, walking in front of them opening the other doors ahead of them.

They reached Ukitake's bedroom and Matsumoto spread out the futon he used to sleep on and Hitsugaya guided him over to it. With help he managed to lower himself down and crawl onto it. He collapsed onto his side panting loudly, his body grew heavier even though he was already down.

He felt a thick weight settle over his body and realized Matsumoto had pulled several blankets out of the storage closet and draped them over him. He was grateful for the warmth it brought to his body, his skin was slick with sweat and the cold air was making him shiver.

He tried to thank them but his hoarse voice failed to produce words, his fading consciousness was causing his vision to become cloudy "Toushiro" he barely managed to get out in a whisper. His eyes seeking out the young Captains face swirling inches away from his own.

"Shhh just rest we'll watch over you" Hitsugaya replied softly.

The world was fading around him, the last thing he saw was those startling teal eyes full of concern before his eyelids slowly closed themselves.

* * *

"Toshi is he going to be all right?" Matsumoto asked from where she was kneeling by the side of Ukitake's futon, dipping a cloth in cold water and wringing it out before placing it across the sleeping Captains forehead.

"He just needs his rest, we'll stay here again tonight and keep an eye on him. If his condition deteriorates then I will send for Unohana" he replied getting to his feet.

A shout from the office area startled them both, a quick scan told him that Kyouraku and Nanao had returned from the twelfth "You go Toshi, I can take care of him for a bit" he nodded and slipped out of the room, closing the door softly behind him.

He pulled the door open that led to Ukitake's office and found a box shoved into his face "Whoa Hitsugaya-kun didn't see you down there buddy" the box moved to one side and he saw Kyouraku grinning down at him.

"What's with the box?" he asked quirking an eyebrow "I take it you procured that from the twelfth."

"Indeed we did" he nodded "Where's Juu and Ran-chan?"

"He's asleep, we found him on his knees coughing up a storm when we got back. So we put him to bed, Ran's looking after him at the moment."

Kyouraku shifted his grip on the box and placed a large hand on Hitsugaya's shoulder "Its best to let him rest, Thanks for taking care of him buddy" he removed the hand again "So did you find out much from the second?"

"Nothing that we didn't already expect" he fished inside his robes and extracted a piece of paper Soifon had given him "Soifon gave me this, apparently over the course of two weeks several items have also been misplaced."

"By misplaced I assume you mean stolen?" Kyouraku replied.

"Her words, not mine" he said with a grin on his face. The memory of the large Second division Lieutenant being flung across the office and out of the nearest window by the considerably smaller Captain was still fresh in his mind. Omaeda's suggestion that the items were not misplaced and in fact had been stolen, had angered Soifon somewhat.

"Well I guess we'll go over our findings tomorrow, I'm dropping these off at the library, want me to take that list too?" Kyouraku asked.

"Sure" he handed the paper to Nanao who stepped forward and took the list folding it neatly and securing it in her robes "Me and Ran are staying here tonight to watch over Ukitake."

Kyouraku nodded "We'll be in the library most of the night if you need us. Nanao's been trying to track down a book about kido conversion" he headed back out the office with Nanao close behind, with a backwards wave he swept out into the night in a flurry of pink.

Hitsugaya flicked off the office lights and closed the door, making his way back to Ukitake's bedroom. He slipped inside quietly and Matsumoto smiled warmly at him.

"Ran if you need me I will be up on the roof for a little bit" She nodded at him and he left the room heading for the roof.

* * *

It was another cold starry night in the Seireitei, and a full moon sat high in the heavens, bathing the thirteenth division barracks in a ghostly pale light. Shafts of moonlight filtering through the paper walls of the bedroom illuminated the restless Captain, his white hair highlighted in the silvery gloom.

Rolling onto his back and tossing the covers aside, he shivered when the cold air met his body. Sitting up he swiped his hand across his forehead to brush the hair out of his eyes, and his fingers came away damp with sweat.

Ukitake sighed, he knew the symptoms of his illness well and it always started with a fever just like earlier in the day. He took in a deep breath and released it slowly, causing him to cough violently. Slowly the coughing subsided to be replaced by wheezing each time he breathed in and out. He chanced taking in another deep breath but was rewarded by another coughing spell. His illness had progressed during the time spent in the central library but it wasn't until he'd returned to his division that the coughing fits started properly. Luckily Hitsugaya had come along when he did and helped him to bed before his strength had completely left him.

Although it seemed like the worst was over now he'd woken up again, he knew from experience this was the calm before the storm. Countless times in the past he thought he'd gotten away lightly only to be struck down worse then before at a later time.

He was grateful that Hitsugaya and Matsumoto had decided to stay for the night to watch over him. Nobody liked to be alone when feeling ill.

He hoped he wasn't keeping his two guests awake with his noisy coughing. He could feel Matsumoto's presence in the guest room opposite his and it sounded like she was sleeping deeply, however Hitsugaya wasn't in the room with her. Extending his senses further he came across the young Captains cool presence outside perched on the roof. Seems like he wasn't the only one having trouble with sleeping tonight.

He climbed out of his bed and grabbed his white haori, wrapping it around his shoulders. He slid the door to his bedroom open, and padded silently down the hallway stopping by the kitchen for tea. After he had poured two steaming cups of tea, he then headed back down the hallway.

He was a few metres away from his bedroom when a slight movement caught his eye, he froze in his spot when he saw a shadow gliding across the thin paper wall of the guest room. He wondered if Matsumoto had woken up wondering where Hitsugaya had gone? He stayed absolutely still not making a sound, listening intently. Not an easy task when his chest was hitching to release the latest cough.

The night was soundless apart from the gentle breathing of a sleeping Matsumoto, so it couldn't be her moving around and casting shadows on the walls. His second thought was that maybe Hitsugaya had returned to the room and it was his shadow instead moving around the room. However his quick scan revealed that the small Captain was still up on the roof, and he couldn't sense any different reiatsu other then those two.

Padding further up the hallway, he stopped outside his own room and peered in. It was exactly how he'd left it a few moments ago, nothing had been disturbed, no unwanted person lurking in the shadows. Maybe he was being paranoid and any other time he would've just shrugged it off. But knowing what he knew about the stolen experiments, caution was called for.

He glided over to the door of the guest room, and placed the two steaming cups down to one side. The door was open a sliver so he slid his fingers into the gap and pushed it aside silently. Peering inside all was still and undisturbed, Matsumoto was sleeping soundly wrapped up snug in a thick blanket. Sweeping his gaze around the rest of the room he saw nothing to suggest anyone else had been sneaking around.

Satisfied that all was well, and putting it down to his fever playing with his mind, he slid the door back into place and grabbed the two cups of tea and headed back to his bedroom, he went over to the night stand and picked up his small bottle of chest tonic and pocketed it, before heading outside to the roof.

Unknown to the sickly Captain, a lone figured clad in black dropped soundlessly from the ceiling of the guest room, turned on their feet and headed for the sleeping beauty lying on the futon. Grinning to themselves; Ukitake forgot to check the ceiling for spiders.

* * *

Snapping awake Hitsugaya sat up startled. Idiot he thought, dropping his guard like that and falling asleep up here. Judging by the position of the moon it was a few hours after midnight. He got to his feet and stretched working out the kinks from his awkward sleeping position. He jumped down from the roof and slid back the Shoji door to go back inside.

A tall figure walking towards him in the gloom made him jump, before he realised who it was "Ukitake?" he asked surprised.

"I didn't mean to startle you Toushiro" he replied in a weak scratchy voice.

"Never mind that, what are you doing out of bed?" he looked at Ukitake closely and saw that he looked like hell.

"I couldn't get back to sleep, and I noticed you was awake too" he held up two steaming cups "I made us some tea, thought we could talk for a bit" Ukitake smiled but it didn't quite light up his eyes like it normally would.

"Sure, but your going back to your bed" he replied.

* * *

Crouching down next to the sleeping Lieutenant, the Watcher simply stayed there watching her sleep. They reached a hand out to brush away a strand of her fiery red hair that had fallen over her eyes, but froze when they heard two sets of footsteps heading back down the hallway. In one smooth and silent leap they resumed their previous position clinging to the ceiling.

The Lieutenant shifted in her sleep mumbling restlessly, it seemed like she was dreaming. The watcher mused about what it could be.

When they were confident the two Captains had returned to the other room, the Watcher dropped down to the floor and resumed their previous position.

* * *

"_Captain!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, trying to gain his attention. She desperately tried to reach him, but the arm that held her back had an unbreakable hold on her, forcing her to move away with him. Slowly dragging her further away __from her Captain._

_Her Captain needed her, he lay in the middle of the battle field bleeding and broken, there was still a chance she could save him._

_Hearing his name called Hitsugaya forced himself up onto his hands and knee's raising his head to look at her._

_She saw his eyes widened when he realised who the man was holding her captive and dragging her away. _

_The fire behind his teal eyes blazoned with new found strength, with a monumental effort he rose to his feet. Clutching Hyourimaru tightly in his hands._

_She did everything she could think of to slow down the retreating man, dragging her feet, letting her body slump as a dead weight anything to give her Captain a chance to reach her._

"_CAPTAIN!" the man's hand came up and clamped over her mouth, stifling her screams. She retaliated and bit down hard until she tasted blood._

_The man growled in pain and shoved her away from him backhanding her across the face. The heavy blow sent her reeling to the ground._

_She heard a pained scream from her Captain "RANGIKU!" before he charged at the man. Anger and adrenaline giving him the strength to fight again._

_The fight lasted forever both men fighting for the same woman. _

_Hitsugaya to protect and keep her safely by his side._

_Ichimaru to take her away with him._

_From her position on the ground she was frozen in horror watching the bloody fight take place._

_During a break in the fighting Ichimaru turned to her "Come wiv me Ran-chan"_

"_NO!" she screamed._

"_Thought ya'd say tha" he drawled "No matter" he drew Shinsou and walked deliberately slow towards her "If I aint allowed ta have ya" another slow step "Then Soul Society aint allowed to have ya either" another step then he paused and turned towards Hitsugaya "An Captain Chibi over there certainly aint allowed ya"_

_He raised his Zanpakuto aiming it towards Hitsugaya who had slumped to his knees, a sitting target._

"_Shoot ta Kill, Shinsou" the blade extended at an alarming speed heading straight for her Captain._

"_CAPTAIN!" She screamed unable to do anything but watch as the blade pierced his heart and he fell face down to the floor._

_She looked up into the face of Gin Ichimaru as he loomed above her stalking closer._

She snapped her eyes open screaming from the horrors of her dream. She came face to face with a figure clad in black standing at the foot of her bed, who quickly shunpoed away.

Hitsugaya came bursting into the room Hyourimaru in his hand, when he was satisfied there was nobody else in the room he relaxed and rushed over to her and pulled her into a hug "Its OK Ran I'm here, its just another bad dream of yours" he said soothingly in his low voice.

She couldn't be sure if her shaking was because of the dream or finding a dark figure looming over her when she'd woken up.

Peering over Hitsugaya's shoulder she saw Ukitake standing in the doorway looking alarmed. His hand was clamped tightly over his mouth, as he began coughing and retching. He hacked, he coughed, and he buckled under his weak legs with his hand covering his mouth in an effort to prevent blood from spraying between his fingers.

Her eyes widened in alarm "Captain Ukitake!"

Hitsugaya released her from his death hug and turned to see Ukitake on his knees again. He could hear the sick Captains lungs rattling wetly with each cough that shook his body, desperately trying to reject the unwanted fluid.

Hitsugaya watched in horror as Ukitake lurched forward and retched a crimson stream of blood onto the floor. He rushed over and placed his hands on Ukitake's shoulders "How can I help?" he tried to ask calmly, even though it was the last thing he could feel at this minute.

Gasping "Poc... pock... pocket" he manged to wheeze out.

Hitsugaya went searching through his pockets and found a little glass bottle "This?"

Ukitake glanced at it and nodded.

Hitsugaya unscrewed the lid and placed it in Ukitake's shaking hand, who brought it up to his lips and swallowed it in one go before the next bout of coughing could start up.

Hitsugaya stood before Ukitake who was kneeling on the floor shaking, with the bottle still in his tight grip. He looked up into Hitsugaya's face and tried to say something but the bottle slipped from his suddenly slack grip and fell to the floor. In a heartbeat something changed in Ukitake's face and he crumpled to the ground face down.

Hitsugaya rushed forward and turned him onto his back "He's stopped breathing Ran" he shouted alarmed. Without further thought he began CPR desperately trying to breathe life back into Ukitake.

"Quick Ran, you gotta call Unohana" he screamed during chest compressions.

Matsumoto summoned two butterflies and sent Unohana the message, the other she sent to Kyouraku. Then she returned to Hitsugaya's side "Tell me how I can help Toshi."

* * *

Well thats the Chapter, Ile admit it kinda broke my heart slightly, Ukitake is one of my fave characters D: *Goes back to working on Chapter 23*


	23. Chapter 23

Someone To Lean On Chapter 23

Tilting Ukitake's head back and pinching his nose, Hitsugaya lowered his mouth and breathed a deep lungful of air into the unresponsive Captains mouth. He looked to his left and saw Ukitake's chest rise "Now Ran" he ordered. Matsumoto placed one hand on top of the other and pressed down firmly pumping his chest, still there was no response. He breathed another lungful of air into his mouth "Again."

They kept the pattern up both refusing to give up on him, they barely noticed when Unohana and Kyouraku filed into the room followed by Isane and Hanataro.

"Come on Ukitake, breathe damn it!" he called out.

Hitsugaya breathed another lungful of air into him, and once again Matsumoto followed through with the chest compressions. A strange gurgling noise reached his ears, he slid his arms under Ukitake's shoulder and turned him gently on to his side. A spluttering cough broke the silence followed by the sound of fluid being expelled onto the floor. A large ragged gasp escaped from his mouth followed by heavy panting.

Relieved Hitsugaya moved away to allow room for Unohana, Isane and Hanataro to take over and work on Ukitake. Matsumoto was by his side clinging onto his arm, he could feel her whole body shaking. A heavy hand landed on his other shoulder gripping it tightly, he looked over it and saw Kyouraku standing just behind him, face hidden by his hat.

Several minutes later Unohana had Ukitake stabilized enough to transfer him over to the Fourth Division, and before Hitsugaya knew it, they'd left and it was just him, Matsumoto and Kyouraku left in the room.

Kyouraku walked over to the door and paused "I'm going to the Fourth, are you two coming?"

Hitsugaya nodded walking over to the door with Matsumoto in tow. He saw the discarded bottle of chest tonic and picked it up, in the bottom was a tiny amount of liquid left, he screwed the lid back on and took it with him.

"Lets go." he said.

* * *

Climbing up the ladder Nanao was confident the book she needed was on this bookcase, it was the last one on this aisle and this aisle happened to be the last one in the Kido section. She had been here for hours with her Captain before he had to rush off, he didn't mention why he had to go, but she knew it was Ukitake having another one of his attacks.

She made the decision to stay here and carry on with hunting down a specific book that explained the theory of Kido conversion. She remembered reading the book many, many years ago when she'd just joined the Eighth. Back then she had made it her mission to read up as much about Kido as possible.

When she heard the thump of a book being dropped on the floor she froze. It sounded like it came from far down the aisle she had previously been combing through. She used her senses but failed to detect anyone else in the library. Why would there be anyone else here she reminded herself, the library closed for the night hours ago, the only reason why her Captain and herself had been allowed in to research was because Kyouraku was a Captain and they were conducting an investigation.

She decided to ignore the noise and carry on with her search for the book, although she remained fully aware of her surroundings. She had only been searching for a few minutes when another loud thump reached her ears. The noise came from the previous aisle again, but this time it came from directly behind the bookcase she was searching. She felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end and her heart started pounding in her chest. Was somebody else here?

Descending the ladder she gathered a ball of kido in her hand and walked the slow distance to the end of the aisle. Taking a deep breath she peeped around the corner into the adjacent aisle expecting to find someone sneaking around, but the aisle was empty, and on the floor was the source of the thumping noise, a heavy book.

She walked over to the book and crouched to pick it up and saw that a small piece of paper had been stuck to it bearing the message – _Look up._

Nanao frowned, was someone playing games with her? With her kido ball still in her hand ready to be fired off, she rose slowly to her feet. After a quick look around to make sure she was still alone, she turned her gaze to look up.

She scanned her eyes along the tops of the bookshelves towering high above her, but nothing seemed to be out of place. She could see the ends of the ladder she'd been using poking over the top of the bookcase in front of her.

Annoyed she walked back around to the aisle she was in, there was only the top two shelves left to search through and then she would call it a night. She climbed back up the ladder and began rummaging amongst the books.

Twenty minutes later she was at the top of the bookcase and after searching thoroughly she determined the book wasn't here. She knew what the book looked like and it was none of these in front of her. Picking up the final book she frowned when a small piece of paper stuck on the cover caught her eye.

Like the fallen book in the other aisle this too had a message written on it –_ I know what you seek, and you cant have it. Look up I'm watching you!_

Nanao dropped the book in shock, gripping the ladder with both hands she turned her gaze up and bit back a scream of shock. Sitting on top of the bookcase was a person clad in the black uniform worn by the Stealth Force. The person was balanced with both feet resting against the top of the ladder. In their hands was the book Nanao had been searching for. Their eyes met and the person grinned at her, before shoving their legs out and pushing the ladder away from the bookcase.

Nanao screamed, she couldn't help it. She braced herself for the impact she knew was coming as she fell backwards colliding painfully into the bookcase behind her. Pain erupted along her back and she lost her grip on the ladder, before plummeting down to the hard floor below.

* * *

It'd been three painfully long hours since they'd arrived at the Fourth division. Hitsugaya had been waiting anxiously with Matsumoto and Kyouraku in the guest waiting area, in the private Captains wing of the infirmary. Which coincidentally was just around the corner to where Ukitake was being treated. They'd yet to hear any kind of news on his condition.

He slouched in his seat absent-mindedly stroking Matsumoto's silky hair, she was resting her head on his lap. Her eyes were closed but he knew she was awake.

Kyouraku was occupying the seat opposite him, his hat was pulled over his eyes and his left ankle was propped up on his right knee. He looked as though he was casually relaxing but Hitsugaya knew the worry for his best friend was running deep inside him.

His eyes felt heavy and gritty with tiredness, it had been a long day and he wondered what time it could be. The lights in this room were only partially lit and the sky outside the window was black.

His vision blurred and he closed his eyes to give them a rest for a couple minutes. He flung his eyes open when he felt someone shaking his shoulder. Confused he saw that the room was a lot brighter, looking over to the window he saw that the sunlight was pouring through it. Looking down he found Matsumoto still snuggled up on his lap, someone had placed a blanket over her. Kyouraku was fast asleep and snoring over on the opposite couch.

"Captain Hitsugaya" he looked to his left when he heard his name called rather timidly and saw Hanataro standing there "Sorry to disturb you Sir."

"No its fine Hanataro, do you have news for us?" he asked feeling his stomach knot, hoping it wasn't bad news.

"Captain Unohana asked me to escort you to her, she would like to ask you a few questions" Hanataro informed him.

"I see" he cradled Matsumoto's head in his hands and carefully slid away from her, then placed her head back down gently "Lead the way please" he said once he was on his feet, quietly slipping out the room and following Hanataro.

He was expecting to be led to Unohana's office, so it came as a surprise when Hanataro slowed down and led him into Ukitake's treatment room. Stepping through the threshold his eyes immediately sought out the occupant of the bed. Hitsugaya was struck by how fragile he looked lying there hooked up to various machines monitoring his condition.

"Captain Hitsugaya" greeted Unohana.

He nodded at her "How is he?" he asked without taking his eyes off Ukitake's unconscious form.

Unohana dismissed Isane and Hanataro, then came and stood next to him by Ukitake's bedside.

"Alive, thanks to your quick thinking Toushiro" she held a hint of pride in her voice at his actions "We managed to get him stabilized about two hours ago."

"When he's had an attack before, has he ever stopped breathing like that?" he wondered aloud.

"No, this would be the first time that's happened, which makes it troubling" Unohana moved around the bed and picked up Ukitake's file "Can you tell me what happened Toushiro?"

"Although he tried to hide it from us all day, it was obvious he was feeling unwell, you know what he's like, he downplays it so we don't worry about him" he looked at Unohana and she nodded her agreement "After we'd finished at the library he went back to his squad while me and Kyouraku made enquiries else where."

"I see, and I assume you returned to the thirteenth afterwards?" she asked while jotting something down in Ukitake's file.

"Yes, me and Rangiku found him on his knees coughing up a storm, so we helped him to bed, he was too weak to move. So we stayed to watch over him."

"Did his condition worsen as the night progressed or did the attack just suddenly happen Toushiro?"

"We was talking and it seemed like he'd picked up a bit, then he suddenly came over all agitated" Hitsugaya closed his eyes thinking hard "He said something felt off, I was about to question him when Matsumoto screamed the house down."

"Why was she screaming?" Unohana asked curious.

"I've not had the chance to ask her yet, but I assume she was having a nightmare again, she's been having them a lot lately" he sighed heavily "I keep telling her to come and see you about them."

"Anyway I rushed in to make sure she was OK, Ukitake followed me, and that's when he took a turn for the worst. He started coughing up blood, I asked how I could help him and he told me to get his chest tonic out his pocket."

"Did he manage to take it? That tonics purpose is to make sure his lungs don't seize up during an attack, especially when expelling blood" Unohana stated calmly.

"Yes he took it" he crossed his arms over his chest "It all happened so fast, he took the tonic, he then looked at me and tried to say something, then his hand went slack dropping the bottle and then he collapsed."

"And was that when he'd stopped breathing?" Unohana actually seemed troubled.

"Yes" he replied cringing inwardly, horrified by what could have happened if Ukitake had been alone.

"The reason why I'm asking is because the blood test I took showed up some unknown substance in his system" she replied.

"Unknown substance... you mean like a poison?" he didn't like what Unohana was implying.

"I don't think its a poison, if it was he would be dead now" she sighed wearily "You wouldn't have been able to get him breathing again if it was."

"So what could it have been instead?" he felt a bit out of his depth as far as poisonous substance went.

"More like some sort of an irritant, something that would make his lungs react and seize up, so they couldn't reject the blood during an attack, and in essence causing him to drown" Unohana said grimly "Of course there is no way to know unless we can get a sample of what ever the substance is."

Hitsugaya rummaged inside his haori pocket and pulled out the almost empty bottle of tonic and held it up to Unohana "There's still a drop left inside, is it possible someone could have accidentally added it by mistake when making up the tonic?" he wanted to avoid making the accusation that someone could have added it with malicious intent.

Unohana took the bottle and pocketed it "I make up Juushiro's medication personally Toushiro, and I'm thinking down the same path as you, this is no accident someone must have spiked his medication" he could see the sadness in her eyes, it was rare to see her upset about anything.

Hitsugaya sighed a deep sigh "Things sure are getting complicated around here" he stepped closer to the bed looking down on Ukitake. Why? Why would anybody want to hurt the incredibly kind Captain, if he hadn't been there tonight they could possibly be conducting a murder investigation now.

He felt anger coiling deep inside him, he could live with himself if he was attacked directly. But whoever was piloting that Dummy Arrancar had to resort to stalking him, and sneaking around to make their moves. Creeping up on Matsumoto while she was suppose to be sleeping in his office and spiking Ukitake's medication. It was just cowardly and dishonourable. It made him wonder if whoever was behind it all would target anyone else.

"I will get to the bottom of this. I wont rest till I find out who is responsible and see them brought to justice" he felt Hyourimaru roaring in the back of his mind with approval. Gone was the anxiety of the previous days, in its place was the fire of determination blazing deeply inside his veins.

"Tou...shiro.." came the weak voice of Ukitake, barely a whisper.

He looked down at the bed and saw Ukitake's warm chocolate eyes peering at him groggily, and trying to raise a weak arm unsuccessfully.

Unohana was standing on the opposite side of the bed to him, she leant forward and pulled the oxygen mask back slightly so he could be heard better "Juushiro you must rest, I insist."

"Tou...shiro..." Ukitake wheezed out again "Don't...let... Rangiku..." he gasped harshly for breath, each word he tried to speak clearly causing him pain.

"Its OK Ukitake don't try to talk, just rest" he said not wanting Ukitake to cause himself further harm.

"No...important..." he tried again "Don't let...Ran...out of your...sight.."

"What do you mean?" he felt confused.

"Protect her...she...needs...you...son" after a few more gasps of breath he fell unconscious once again.

Hitsugaya rested a hand on Ukitake's head "Rest Ukitake, I will take care of things" he stepped away from the bed and looked over to Unohana, who gave him a gentle smile "I will figure it out" he said before turning on his heel and walking out the door.

* * *

Waking up suddenly Matsumoto bolted into an upright position panting heavily. She took a few deep breaths to calm down her pounding heart 'Just another dream' she told herself, repeating it over like a mantra, yet it had been so vivid. She'd been having these nightmares quite regular for the last few months, and they were always pretty much the same. No matter what the setting, or who she found in them, they always played out the same way. Toushiro always died in them no matter what.

The dream that had just woken her was different to the one she had earlier at Ukitake's place. Instead of being on a battlefield surrounded by enemies and heavily outnumbered, this time she had been in their office.

She had walked into the office to find Toushiro slumped over his desk, crimson blood spreading over the desk and soaking into the paperwork, somebody had murdered him. Screaming hysterically she tried to reach him, but found she was being held back by a strong pair of arms which belonged to Ukitake. He just smiled his trademark warm smile and told her to 'look after the other Shiro-chan'. That was when she felt a small weight in her arms, looking down she was holding a tiny bundle wrapped in her pink scarf. Closer inspection revealed a tiny white haired baby with Toushiro's startling teal eyes staring back at her.

After several minutes she felt calm again, and realised she was still in the fourth. Last nights events came rushing back and she wondered where Toushiro could have got to. A loud snore alerted her to Kyouraku's presence over on the couch.

She stood up to stretch out her stiff muscles but promptly sat back down again when spots erupted in her eyes and her legs went weak. She rested her head in her hands while the light headedness passed.

She looked up when she heard someone step into the room, and was relieved to find Toushiro walking towards her, he walked over to the couch and sat down next to her sighing heavily.

"Are you OK Toshi?" she asked drawing closer to him.

"I just got back from talking to Unohana" he replied, looking over to Kyouraku "Is he awake?"

Right on cue Kyouraku lifted his arm and pulled his hat off his face "Yes Hitsugaya-kun I'm awake" he pulled himself up into a sitting position.

"Good because I have news regarding Ukitake" Hitsugaya was about to continue when she suddenly felt her stomach roll uncomfortably, momentarily causing her to lose control over her reiatsu.

"Are you feeling OK Ran-chan?" Kyouraku asked looking at her closely "You seem kinda pale."

The light headedness from before returned making the sickly feeling in her stomach worse. Knowing what would happen next she got to her feet and rushed out the room in search of the nearest toilet, leaving the two Captains baffled.

* * *

After quickly relaying to Kyouraku what he'd learnt from Unohana, Hitsugaya got to his feet to go and see if Matsumoto was OK. He could sense her presence and knew she wasn't far away. The door opened before he reached it and a Shinigami he didn't recognise stood panting in the doorway.

"Captain Kyouraku Sir!"

"Easy there, where's the fire?" Kyouraku replied lazily.

"Sir! I was ordered to come find you" Kyouraku raised his hand cutting him off.

"If my beautiful Nanao-chan ordered you to come fetch me, kindly return and tell her I will be back shortly."

"But Sir, our third seat ordered me to come find you, Lieutenant Ise never showed up in the office this morning" the Shinigami reported.

Kyouraku's eyes widened, Nanao was never late getting to the office in the morning.

"We tried looking elsewhere in the division but there's no sign of her and nobody has seen her."

Kyouraku was up on his feet in an instance "Return to the squad I will look for her" he remembered last seeing her in the library before he rushed over to Ukitake's. That was hours ago.

Hitsugaya watched as Kyouraku hastily left the room, followed by his squad member. He stepped through the door and headed down the corridor in search of Matsumoto.

Five minutes later he came across Matsumoto's presence behind the door to a bathroom, he knocked lightly and heard a small moan from inside "Ran are you all right in there?"

The only reply he got was a groan of discomfort "I'm coming in Ran" he pushed the door open and found Matsumoto sitting on the floor slumped over the toilet seat. The smell of vomit hitting him as soon as he stepped inside "Damn are you OK?"

"I just felt a little sick Toshi" Matsumoto replied hoarsely "I'm OK now."

"Come on, lets get Unohana to check you over" he pulled her up to her feet and guided her out the door.

They rounded a corner and saw Unohana walking down the hallway towards them "Captain Hitsugaya I was looking for you" Unohana's gaze swept over them, taking in Matsumoto's pale complexion and Hitsugaya holding her steady "Are you feeling unwell Rangiku?"

"I'm fine really" she replied.

Hitsugaya snorted "No your not" he met Unohana's gaze "Can you check her over please, she's ill."

"Come this way" Unohana said leading them back towards the treatment area.

They heard the familiar chime of a hell butterfly and Unohana held out a finger for it to land on. The message it replayed was from Kyouraku.

"_Retsu,_ _I found Nanao-chan in the library unconscious. She's in a bad way, I'm bringing her in." _

The message cut off and Unohana turned to Hitsugaya "Forgive me Toushiro, but I must get down to the emergency room. I suggest you take Rangiku home to rest, I want to see you both here tomorrow morning understood?"

They both nodded and watched as Unohana glided away down the corridor.

* * *

Hiya! Decided to put the notes down here this time. As always thankyou to all my loyal reviewers 3 I was hoping to get this chapter out before the 9th because its my Birthday ^_^ and I have brought myself a new laptop. This story is getting close to the end now, not sure how many more chapters, but I was thinking of making each chapter from now on longer, which may result in a slightly longer wait for the next one. Let me know what you think. Also I have a basic outline for two stories, the first is another Hitsu/Matsu/Uki fic that will be set in the world of the living. While the second will be Shun/Nanao. Both ideas have been bouncing around in my head for quite a few weeks now.


	24. Chapter 24

Author Notes at the end of the Chapter with a special surprise for you all =)

* * *

Someone To Lean On Chapter 24

Hitsugaya signed off the report he'd just finished reading through and placed it to one side and grabbed the next paper off the pile. He'd returned from the fourth a few hours ago carrying a sleeping Matsumoto in his arms, she was currently resting in his bed while he sat at his desk sorting through paperwork.

He was so used to doing paperwork over the years he discovered it helped to calm him down and focus his thoughts. Looking up from his desk he glanced over to his bedroom door that he'd left open so he could keep watch over Rangiku. He still wanted to ask what had happened to her before Ukitake had taken ill, but decided to let her rest a little. He wondered if the shock of almost losing Ukitake and not having much sleep the past few nights was contributing to her sudden illness.

Ukitake's warning floated to the front of his mind again, telling him not to let Rangiku out of his sight. Was she in further danger? He knew whoever was piloting that Dummy Arrancar had failed in their first attempt to get to her, so it was logical to assume they would try again. What he didn't know was why someone would want to harm her? Who could possibly have something against her, that would warrant them killing her. What was the motive? If he could determine a motive, then maybe he could figure out who was behind all this.

Once she wakes up, and if she is feeling well enough they were hitting the library, he thought. He wanted to see everything they'd turned up the last couple of days, especially the information Kyouraku had manage to obtain.

He heard movement coming from his bedroom and he looked over once again to see Rangiku moving around fitfully, the bed sheets tangled around her limbs. He got up from his desk and padded over to his room.

Looking at her, he saw a thin sheen of sweat on her face and her head was thrashing from side to side. A small moan escaped from her lips, pained and pitiful. She was having another nightmare, he was sure of it.

He perched himself on the side of his bed and rested one hand at her waist while the other cupped her cheek "Rangiku" he called trying to wake her from the nightmare.

"Captain...don't leave me.." she let out in a pained whimper, a lone tear trailed down her cheek, which he wiped away with his thumb.

"Wake up Ran, I'm right here!" he shook her slightly.

He leaned closer to her so their faces were only inches apart, intending to plant a gentle kiss on her forehead, however before he reached forward he saw her eyes snap open and she suddenly sat up causing him to see stars as their foreheads collided painfully. He fell backwards and toppled off the edge of the bed, landing on the floor with a thump.

When his vision cleared he looked up and saw Rangiku on the edge of the bed looking down at him "Toshi! I'm so sorry" she slipped off the bed and knelt in front of him. He saw a bright red mark on her forehead from where they'd collided and he wondered if he had a similar mark.

"Its OK Ran, you was dreaming and I was trying to wake you" he got up from the floor and pulled Rangiku up with him and sat on the edge of the bed.

He noticed she was shivering slightly so he grabbed one of the bed sheets and wrapped it around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him "How are you feeling now?"

When he received no reply he continued "You seem to be having these nightmares a lot lately" he could feel that she'd stopped shaking, whether it was caused by fright or the actual cold he couldn't be sure "I'm worried about you Ran."

He felt her move slightly and when he looked down at her, he could see her eyes sparkling with tears that had yet to fall. He wondered what could be haunting her so much in her sleep, thinking back they seemed to have started a couple of weeks before he got injured out on that patrol.

Rangiku rose to her feet and padded over towards the bathroom and paused before opening the door "I feel like crap Toshi, and not just because I threw up earlier."

He got up and walked over to her wrapping his arms around her waist "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No...I don't want to talk about it" she sniffed and Toushiro felt a few tear drops fall onto his hands "But I need to talk about it, I just want to have a shower first" she pulled on his hands so he would release her.

He let her go rather reluctantly and once she had closed the door he headed to his kitchen to make tea. A few minutes later he was balancing the tray of tea and snacks in his hands and went through to his living room. He placed the tray down on the low table and gathered a couple of cushions for them to sit on.

He could still hear the shower running so he went back into his study and grabbed a pile of paperwork and brought it to the living room and settled himself down while he waited for Matsumoto to finish.

He'd managed to read through two of the reports by the time Matsumoto emerged from the bathroom looking somewhat fresher, however dark bags could still be seen under her eyes.

She walked over to the table and plopped herself down next to him, he adjusted his position so they could both sit comfortably, he had both his legs either side of Rangiku so she could recline back and lean into him.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder "There's so much we need to talk about Ran, I don't know where to begin."

"How's Captain Ukitake doing?" she asked.

"That's right, you dashed off while I was telling Kyouraku" he leaned over and picked up his tea cup from the table "Unohana informed me his condition was stable."

"That's good to hear, it scared me so much when he stopped breathing like that" she reached forward and grabbed one of the bowls off the table, and found it contained chunks of watermelon, go figure.

"I had a long talk with Unohana, apparently that chest tonic he took, its suppose to prevent his lungs from seizing up, so he wouldn't stop breathing like he did" he picked a couple pieces of watermelon out of Rangiku's bowl "Unohana found an unknown substance in his blood stream, she seems to think somebody may have spiked his medication."

"Somebody poisoned him?" Matsumoto gasped.

"Its not exactly a poison, but whoever spiked Ukitake's medicine, definitely wanted him out the way" he could feel Matsumoto trembling slightly.

"Why would anybody want to do that to him? He's like..."

"The kindest person ever, I thought the same thing Ran" he finished for her "He came around briefly while I was talking with Unohana."

"Did he say anything?" she asked.

"Yeah, it was more like a warning though. He asked me, not to let you out of my sight, and to protect you. He said it was important, he seems to think your in more danger" he didn't want to worry her, but it was for the best that she knew.

"Toshi.." Rangiku was in the middle of an internal battle, should she tell him about the figure she saw at the foot of her futon? She still wasn't sure, maybe she hadn't fully woken up and maybe her hazy mind was playing tricks with her eyes.

Hitsugaya could sense her hesitation "I don't want to worry you Ran, but Ukitake was quite agitated prior to you waking up. I never got to ask him what was up."

He felt her stiffen in his arms, something was making her feel uncomfortable. Was it something to do with Ukitake, or something completely different, maybe it was the nightmares? "You still haven't told me what made you so upset either. Its not like you to wake up screaming like that" he fell silent, waiting for her to speak.

After several long minutes of silence Matsumoto finally spoke up "I was having a particularly bad dream at Ukitake's place."

"I guessed as much. What happened in it Ran?" he asked.

"Pretty much the same as that day in the office. You know when you got back from from your Captains meeting and before we went on patrol."

"I see, and was Ichimaru in it again?" he asked glad that she couldn't see him scowling.

"Yes Toshi" she sighed, knowing he wouldn't take it well.

"Is that why you find your dreams so upsetting, because Ichimaru is in them?" he asked softly trying to keep the venom out of his voice, he despised Ichimaru.

"No, Its not that what upsets me" she twisted around so she was facing him.

He placed his hands either side of her face and pulled her closer, so his forehead was resting against hers "Tell me, I cant help you, if I don't know what's bothering you."

She blinked and a few tears escaped from her eyes "I'm afraid to go to sleep, every time I do, I'm plagued by the same thing, over and over again. The dreams although different, always follow the same pattern."

"Well if they follow the same pattern, that must mean your mind is subconsciously trying to tell you something. If you can figure out the meaning behind it, its possible the dreams will cease to be a problem" he smirked at her and brushed his lips against hers.

She pulled away from him and pouted "So what do you think my mind is trying to tell me by killing you off, over and over again Toshi?"

He dropped the smirk from his face and pulled his serious face back on "I don't know Ran, but I suppose it explains why your feeling ill all of a sudden, your exhausted."

"Maybe..." she trailed off lost in her thoughts.

"Hey" he nudged her slightly "No matter what happens, I will always be here for you. I know Ichimaru keeps popping up in your dreams, but there really is nothing to worry about from him."

"But what if he's responsible for this whole mess Toshi?" she asked, he could see the distress in her eyes "He's the only person I can think of that would hold a grudge against us."

"Ichimaru is dead Ran, He died in the winter war, everybody knows that" he was momentarily shocked with himself for actually defending the man.

"How can you be sure? Two years on and I still haven't found out who killed him. What if he managed to survive somehow?"

"I'm one-hundred percent sure Rangiku, because I was there. It was me who dealt him the final blow. I killed him, so I know he is dead."

"Why... Why did you never tell me?" she asked in a small voice.

"I knew you were close at one time, and I knew you would be upset by his death. So I decided to wait a bit before telling you" he pulled her into a hug once more "However we became a lot closer, and a lot happier and as the months passed by it seemed irrelevant bringing up past grievances."

He stared intently at her "Are you mad at me for not telling you?"

She seemed to be considering it for a bit before answering "No, I'm not mad Toshi, but I am relieved to know it was you."

He nodded at her "I will say it again, and hopefully you,ll believe me this time. You have nothing to worry about regarding Ichimaru OK?"

"OK" she nodded.

He rose to his feet to fetch some fresh tea, but Rangiku grabbed hold of his wrist and yanked him back down "Ran?"

"There's one more thing I need to tell you first" she released his wrist and he sat back on the cushion.

"Go on" he prompted.

"At Ukitake's when I woke up from that dream, I was pretty disorientated and I'm still not sure if what I saw actually happened or not."

"What exactly happened?" Hitsugaya sat up straight, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Well, in my dream you had been killed, and Gin was coming after me. He was hovering over me. I woke up screaming and at the foot of my bed I saw a figure, dressed in black, just like the uniform worn by the Stealth Force. In a blink of shunpo it was gone" she looked at him in the eye and caught the look of horror on his face.

"I wish you had told me this sooner Ran, it could explain why Ukitake seemed agitated" he looked up to the ceiling thinking "Maybe he sensed something was off."

"Just like in our office, he sensed that prowler when I felt nothing" she said, resting her head in her hands.

"Did the two things look the same or different Ran?"

They was interrupted from further speculation by a rather urgent knock at Hitsugaya's front door, they looked at each other before he rose and walked down the hallway, Matsumoto close behind. He pulled the door open and found their third seat on the other side.

"Captain Hitsugaya Sir!" he greeted, then caught sight of Matsumoto behind him "L..Lieutenant Matsumoto!"

"Yes, What is it?" Hitsugaya replied trying to not sound annoyed at the interruption.

"An urgent message from the members of Squad Eight Sir, apparently Captain Kyouraku has gone on a rampage and is tearing the office to pieces. Lieutenant Ise is currently in the fourth, and nobody else dares to approach him. Their third seat sent the message requesting your help Sir."

"I see, inform them I will be right over, and tell them to stay clear of the office in the mean time" he ordered in his Captains tone.

"Yes Sir" their third answered before shunpoing away.

He closed the door and hurried to his bedroom and grabbed his Captains haori, slinging it over his shoulders, while hunting down his sandals. Once he was ready he grabbed Hyourimaru and strapped it on his back. Matsumoto was also ready by his side seconds later "Lets go Rangiku."

* * *

Arriving at the Eighth division Hitsugaya and Matsumoto sprinted through the gates and along the main walkway, that led them towards the administration buildings. Turning the final corner they skidded to a halt as they saw a wall of Shinigami crowding the walkway.

He allowed his reiatsu to flicker slightly, causing a cold breeze to stir. The Shinigami closest to him turned and when they saw him they moved aside to allow him passage. They walked on unhampered until they reached the front of the gathered crowd, where they both stopped and took in the situation.

He could feel Kyouraku's spiritual pressure swirling angrily in the air, several of the office windows had been smashed and papers littered the courtyards ground, fluttering lazily in the breeze. Kyouraku's loud shouts could be heard coming from inside.

"Captain, I've never seen him like this before" Matsumoto said in a low voice, that only Hitsugaya could hear.

"I know, and his reiatsu feels all wrong" he took a step forward when Kyouraku's pressure spiked, causing many of the Shinigami behind him to gasp "It feels like he's losing his grip on it."

"Captain Hitsugaya!" someone called from behind him, he turned to see the eighth's third seat bowing behind him.

"How long as this been going on?" he questioned the third seat.

"About an hour Sir, he returned from the fourth and locked himself in his office, then about thirty minutes ago his pressure spiked and then all we could hear was him tearing the place apart."

"I see" he turned to look towards the office again as a loud thud reached his ears, then everything fell silent "See to it that your division members are evacuated to a safe distance."

"Yes Sir!" the third seat turned to his division members and relayed the order.

"Rangiku" He started towards the office building.

"Yes Captain?"

"Stay close to me" his right hand automatically reached up to rest on Hyourimaru's handle.

They reached the office door and Hitsugaya found it locked, nothing could be heard from the other side. He banged on the door with his fist "Kyouraku open up!"

He heard no reply and that worried him, when only minutes before Kyouraku could be heard storming around loudly.

He pulled Hyourimaru from its sheathe and looked back at Matsumoto, she nodded and pulled out Haineko. Turning back to the door he slipped into a stance and kicked the door in, it swung inwards and stopped dead against the wall with a loud bang.

Cautiously they entered the office trying to ignore the carnage all around them, the place was completely trashed. He felt Matsumoto tapping his shoulder, he looked over his shoulder at her and she pointed to their feet.

Looking down he saw several scraps of pink silk lying discarded at his feet, all torn and shredded. He turned his attention to the rest of the room and saw Kyouraku's Captains haori tossed aside and ripped in two, while the top half of his uniform was strewn across the over turned couch.

Behind one of the desks he saw a black mound, carefully he stepped over the floor making his way over to it, with Rangiku close behind him.

The black mound turned out to be Kyouraku's legs, said man was lying on his side clutching a sake bottle close to his chest mumbling "Juu...Nanao-chan...Juu...Nanao-chan..."

He placed Hyourimaru back in its sheath "I think he's drunk Ran" he guessed taking in Kyouraku's dishevelled appearance and the glazed look in his eyes.

"Juu...Nanao-chan."

"That's impossible Toshi" she replied sweeping her eyes around the room looking for something. "It would take more then one sake bottle to get him sloshed" she reached down and tugged the sake out of his hands "This is the only bottle here" she gave it a little shake and the alcohol could be heard sloshing around inside "Its still fairly full, he's only had one sip out of it at the most."

"Nanao-chan...Juu."

"Trust you to know that Ran" he took in the chaos around him again "If this isn't a drunken rampage, then why would he trash the place?"

Matsumoto lifted the sake bottle and wafted it in front of her nose sniffing the contents. She pushed it away suddenly with a revolted look on her face "Oh my god!"

"What is it?" he asked alarmed.

"Nanao-chan..."

"This sake smells awful" she held it away from her, trying not to gag.

He grabbed the bottle out of her hands and sniffed it too. The sake had its usual sharp tang, he wrinkled his nose at the scent; he never did like the smell of it much "Smells the same to me Ran."

"Trust me, there's something off about it" she furrowed her brow while thinking "You mentioned that Ukitake's medication could have been spiked.."

"Juu...Juu.."

Both of them looked down at Kyouraku who was mumbling away on the floor, "Do you think that maybe.." she began.

"Whoever is responsible for spiking Ukitake's medication, certainly has no qualms at trying to kill a Captain, its logical to assume they would strike again." he stated.

"Do you think his sake's been spiked too?" she asked.

"Nanao.."

"Its possible, regardless we need to get him to the fourth" he looked back down at Kyouraku "He doesn't seem to be in any pain or immediate danger, but his reiatsu feels all wrong. His body is conscious but its like his mind is not all there."

"How are we going to get him there?" Matsumoto knelt down on her knees by Kyouraku's side and rested a hand on his bare shoulder "If its something in the sake, shunpo might be a bad idea."

"We'll just have to do it the hard way and take him by foot, lets hope he'll co-operate" Hitsugaya screwed the lid back on the sake bottle, "We'll have to take this with us too."

He looked down at Kyouraku and briefly wondered just how the hell they were going to managed dragging him to the fourth. It'd been no problem for him supporting Ukitake the night before, although taller then him Ukitake was surprisingly light. Kyouraku however was another matter, not only was he tall, he was built like a brick wall and a lot heavier. He felt sympathy towards Nanao for all those nights she had to drag Kyouraku home from a bar somewhere in the Rukongai.

Matsumoto had been watching Hitsugaya and knew what he was thinking "Toshi, allow me to try something."

He quirked an eyebrow at her puzzled "Sure go ahead" he wondered what she was thinking.

She turned to Kyouraku and nudged his shoulder lightly "Shunsui can you hear me?"

He lifted his head up, turning to the direction of her voice. His eyes were still glazed over but he was responding to her "Is that my Nanao-chan?"

She looked over to Hitsugaya and he nodded to her, mouthing the words 'Go with it.'

"No I'm not Nanao, but I do know where she is Shunsui" she spoke to him softly like a mother would to a child "Do you want me to take you to her?"

Kyouraku moved to his knees and grabbed each of Matsumoto's arms in a vice like grip, she resisted the urge to wince at the pain. Hitsugaya made to move forwards but she shot him a warning look "Don't Toshi."

"Nanao-chan" Kyouraku released her arms and made to get to his feet, he lost his balance though and went crashing sideways into the over turned desk with a thud.

"Grab his other arm Ran" Hitsugaya stepped forward and grabbed his right arm and swung it over his shoulder. Once they both had a hold on him, they managed to hoist him up to his unsteady feet.

"Ready Ran?" he asked, knowing they were going to look ridiculous, dragging a half naked Kyouraku through the Seireitei.

She nodded "Shunsui, come with me and Toshi, we'll take you to Nanao."

"Nanao..." Kyouraku made to take a step forward almost unbalancing the three of them. Hitsugaya quickly recovered their balance and they started moving across the office towards the door.

* * *

Waking up, the first thing Hinamori noticed was how dark her surroundings were. She made to get up but the cramp in her shoulders prevented her from doing so, that's when she noticed her hands had been tied behind her back.

She allowed her eyes to adjust to the gloom, where she was lying on her side all she could see was the wall in front of her. However it wasn't completely dark, something in the room was producing a faint bluish light.

Where was she? The last thing she could recall was being in her office completing the paperwork... How did she end up here? Everything felt like a big blank.

A steady tap..tap...tap could be heard nearby, was somebody else here?

She rested a foot against the wall in front of her, and kicked off from it, enabling her to roll onto her front. It was an awkward position and her shoulders complained at the new angle, but she could now see the room behind her.

The room was dark but on the wall opposite she could see a number of computer screens, casting a soft blue glow. A high backed chair sat in front of the screens casting a long shadow behind it. The steady tapping could be heard coming from behind it.

She tried to move but a sharp pain in her shoulder caused her to cry out. The tapping stopped briefly and she froze, trying not to draw attention to herself. She watched as the chair swivelled around slowly and stopped once the occupant was facing her.

The glare from the screens behind the chair made it impossible to see the facial features of the person. They rose to their feet and walked deliberately slow towards her. From her position on the floor she could tell the person was tall and well built, definitely male.

A door to her left opened and golden light flooded into the room forcing her to shut her eyes tight against the brightness. She felt someone grab her upper arms and lift her up off the floor, she could feel her legs dangling in the air.

"Your finally awake Momo" came the voice of the person holding her. She knew that kind and familiar voice.

She snapped her eyes open forgetting the brightness, she blinked her eyes furiously trying to clear her vision. Once her eyes adjusted to the light, the persons face in front of her came into focus.

She was hardly aware that he'd set her back down on her feet, her attention was focused only on his face. His deep brown eyes, framed by his glasses staring back into her own. Strands of dark chestnut hair fell into his eyes from his wavy mop. Everything about him was all so familiar.

"Ca...Captain...Ai...zen?" she said weakly.

"Who else Momo?" he smiled warmly at her.

This couldn't be real she told herself, how could it be real? Her breathing became erratic and she suddenly felt dizzy. Her vision grew dark and she felt her knees give way. Aizen caught the fainting Hinamori before she hit the floor and placed her back down gently.

The second figure at the door clad in the black stealth force uniform, entered the room fully "Yare, that was awfully cruel of you, seems I've created a monster."

Aizen turned towards the second man and grinned before coalescing back into the smoky shadowy vapour form of the Dummy Arrancar.

"My, My, you made the poor girl faint" the man strolled over to the dummy and reached inside its chest and pulled out a glass orb "Although I must admit, you impersonated him quite well."

The dummy dropped to the floor once the orb had been removed, the orb acted as a power pack and without it the dummy was unusable. The watcher twisted the orb so it split into two halves. In the middle was a small cap which he screwed off, revealing what could only be described as a mini flask. He reached inside his robes and pulled out a small vial of blood he managed to obtain from the fourth division's blood bank.

He poured the blood in till the flask was completely full and then he resealed the cap, and twisted the two halves of the orb back into place.

He placed both his palms either side of it and began pouring his spirit energy into the orb, recharging it. By the time he'd finished it was glowing a steady green colour humming happily.

He placed the fully charged orb down on a table and went over to the computer screens. He was delighted to see that his traps had been sprung and nobody could get in his way now. Ukitake had finally ingested his spiked chest tonic, meaning he would be out the way in the fourth for a considerable time. He hadn't expected Ise to be a problem, but to make sure he'd taken steps to remove her from the equation. Which ironically helped him to take Kyouraku out of the picture, it finally drove him to drink his tainted sake.

Now he had managed to clear away the obstacles, it was time to make his move.

He stepped away from the screens and picked up the orb. He shoved it into the chest of the dummy and it immediately animated itself. After a couple of minutes it finally registered the DNA sample he had placed inside it and it shifted its appearance to copy it.

Standing in front of him was a perfect replica of a pouting Rangiku Matsumoto. It copied her icy blue eyes, fiery orange hair and beautiful large assets perfectly. It even had her trademark pink scarf and necklace.

He pulled off the head piece he wore, that hid his face and tossed it onto the chair. He faced the fake Rangiku and grinned "Are you ready my dear?"

The fake Rangiku turned to him and grinned back "Yes I am."

"Do you understand what you have to do for me?" he drawled back.

"Yes... I understand. Your taking back what belongs to you."

"Tread carefully and avoid the real Rangiku" he warned.

"I will...Gin."

* * *

Wow Wow Wow! You have no idea how much its been killing me not letting on who the Watcher is ^_^ and now you know. Good job to the few people who guessed correctly.

Thank you very much for your continued support, I enjoy all your comments and feedback and wow wow wow only 2 reviews shy of breaking triple figures /cheers. I love you guys. Thank you to the people who wished me a happy birthday.

As a special treat and a thank you, to you guys, I have decided to post the prologue to my next story I have planned.

Its going to be called Back To The Innocence. I wont keep you much longer, read it and let me know if you like the sound of it.

* * *

_~Back To The Innocence - Prologue~ _

_Crouching down behind a bush, the two boys were well hidden from the many number of adults rushing about the place. It seemed the whole place had an air of panic about it, people ran to and fro shouting orders. It seemed like the adults were searching frantically for something. The thinnest of the two boys kept watch peeping through the gaps in the bush. _

_A little later when everything had gone quiet, he pulled on the sleeve of his friend and dragged him from the bush, pulling him down the walkway. At the end of the walkway they stopped in wonder as they saw a huge gateway that had been opened up, spilling out a misty white light. Hovering nearby he saw many little black butterflies fluttering about._

_Walking closer he reached up and touched one and was shocked slightly when he heard a voice in his head giving him directions. Curious he stepped towards the open gateway. The butterfly that had spoken to him flew down and hovered in front of him, telling him to follow._

_He looked back at his friend "I think it wants us to follow it" he said pointing at the creature "Are you coming?"_

_The other boy who seemed rather bored and sleepy just muttered "I don't know."_

_When they heard raised voices approaching they looked at each other wide eyed, there was no where for them to hide from the adults. They could just make out what the voices were saying _

"_Hurry up Matsumoto, we need to get through to the world of the living before they seal the gates completely" barked the voice of a man, clearly a figure of authority._

"_I know Captain, this suitcase is kind of heavy you know" came the feminine reply._

"_Idiot! Why do you even need all that stuff anyway?" the man replied irritated._

"_Captain! A girl has to look her best at all times" came the whiny reply._

"_Tch, whatever! Just hurry up will you" the man ordered._

_Looking around and desperately seeking a hiding place, the two boys grasped hands and ran into the open gateway. Looking back over his shoulder briefly the thin boy saw a tall elegant lady with fiery orange hair, and a considerably shorter man with a mop of snowy white spikes round the nearby corner, running full pelt towards them, obviously intending to pass through the gateway too._

_Both boys shouted in unison "RUN!" _

_The whole of the Seireitei was in a state of panic. Two of the most well known and well respected Captains of the Gotei 13 had disappeared. Search parties were sent out to investigate their last known whereabouts. Their divisions had been turned upside down and yet nothing suggested where they could be and what had happened to them._

_Every single Soul Reaper had been ordered to search out any trace of them, both inside the Seireitei and outside in the Rukon Districts. As the hours wore on, the situation grew dire. The more time that passed, the less likely it was the Captains would be found._

_Even their distinctive reiatsu signatures had vanished completely. Those who knew the Captains well refused to acknowledge the possibility that the missing pair had met their demise. They refused to consider that they could have gone rogue and abandoned the Gotei 13. They refused to believe that after their considerably long services as Captains, that neither of the power houses would leave for no discernible reason._

_They refused to believe that Juushiro Ukitake or Shunsui Kyouraku would do any of those things. Yet after a week of solid searching, the two of them had simply vanished without a trace._

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Now back to working on Chapter 25 ^_^b See you again next week!


	25. Chapter 25

Thank you everyone who left me a review ^_^ I really enjoyed writing this chapter and I hope you all enjoy reading it. Happy Reading!

* * *

Someone To Lean On Chapter 25

Hitsugaya had never been so glad in his life to reach the Fourth division. With one last heave he managed to drag Kyouraku up the final step and through the doors into the infirmary.

The trip through the Seireitei had been going smoothly, and Kyouraku had been co-operating with them despite his altered state of mind. Somewhere deep inside of him he was really anxious to see Nanao, that much was obvious. Unfortunately that didn't last long.

They'd been walking along half dragging and half guiding Kyouraku who kept up his steady ramblings about his 'Lovely lovely Nanao-chan' and occasionally stopping to stare blankly at a cherry blossom tree they happened to walk by. They had passed by the Fifth division and was on the home stretch towards the Fourth when Kyouraku had a change of heart.

Kyouraku's spiritual pressure flared angrily and he pushed himself away from the Tenth division duo who were supporting him. The following minutes were spent with Hitsugaya and Matsumoto trying to get him under control again as he had what could only be described as a temper tantrum.

When his anger had finally ran out, Kyouraku fell to his knees and went back to muttering pitifully just like he did back in the office. Hitsugaya had scooped him up again with Matsumoto's help and they made haste to the Fourth before his temper could flare again.

Looking around the main entrance area, Hitsugaya saw several Fourth division members milling around, eyeing Kyouraku cautiously. He guessed none of them felt enthusiastic about dealing with a drunk patient. In all fairness Kyouraku was known for his heavy drinking and right now he did look as if he was drunk.

However one brave soul came hurrying over and Hitsugaya was pleased to see it was Hanataro. He took one look between the three of them and motioned for them to follow him.

As they were being led down a corridor, one of the doors to the right opened and Unohana stepped out the room followed by Isane.

"Captain Unohana, Lieutenant Kotetsu" Hanataro greeted respectfully with a bow.

"At ease Hanataro" Unohana replied serenely, she looked passed him and caught sight of Hitsugaya and Matsumoto supporting a semi conscious Kyouraku. The ever present smile on her face slipped briefly when she saw the state Kyouraku was in "Has he been drinking?" she asked.

"There's something wrong with him, he's not himself" Matsumoto replied a bit strained, she was feeling tired from dragging him across five divisions of the Seireitei and Kyouraku was getting heavier by the minute.

"We believe the sake he drank may have been tainted" Hitsugaya supplied, sharing a look with Unohana "Just like with Ukitake's medication."

Unohana walked over to them and lifted Kyouraku's chin up to look in his eyes. Kyouraku just stared back with glazed eyes and a sad expression on his face "Juu...Nanao-chan..." he mumbled mournfully.

"Shunsui, can you hear me?" Unohana asked trying to gauge his reactions. She frowned when all he did was stare back blankly "Follow me, I will have to do a few tests on him. Did you bring the tainted sake with you Hitsugaya-kun?"

"Right here Captain Unohana" Matsumoto lifted the bottle up and gave it a little shake.

"Very well, if you would come with me" Unohana turned and started walking down the hallway, while Isane and Hanataro fell into step behind her.

Hitsugaya and Matsumoto took a step forward and tugged on Kyouraku's arms to get him to walk with them, however he remained rooted to the spot and refused to budge an inch.

"Come on Shunsui, Nanao's waiting to see you" Matsumoto encouraged breezily.

Kyouraku pushed himself away from their supportive hold on him and swayed unsteadily on his feet, "Nanao-chan...Juu..." he took a couple steps back and his spiritual pressure started to swirl angrily.

Matsumoto held her hands out in front and walked steadily towards Kyouraku "Its OK Shunsui" she said, trying to calm him, he stepped back a few more paces and stopped when his back hit the wall.

"Careful Ran!" Hitsugaya hissed at her, couldn't she feel how angry his reiatsu had become in a matter of seconds he thought.

Unohana came up beside Hitsugaya and stopped, Isane and Hanataro close by "Lieutenant Matsumoto, back away from Captain Kyouraku slowly and make no sudden movements" she ordered calmly.

"I second that Rangiku" Hitsugaya added feeling nervous for Matsumoto's safety. Could she not feel the change in Kyouraku's pressure?

Matsumoto feeling confused turned to look over her shoulder at him, which was the worst thing she could do in this situation. Kyouraku let out a strangled sort of cry and launched himself forward hitting out at Matsumoto with the back of his hand. The impact across her face echoed loudly in the hallway. She cried out in pain, and the momentum of the strike sent her falling to the floor.

"RANGIKU!" Hitsugaya called out before launching himself at Kyouraku and trying to restrain the bigger man's arm before he could strike Rangiku again.

He Intercepted Kyouraku's flailing arm and used all his might to push him back and away from Rangiku who was lying on the floor. Hanataro was suddenly beside him attempting to help him by restraining Kyouraku's other arm. Between them they had somehow managed to restrain each of Kyouraku's arms in a lock behind his back and they had his front pinned against the wall.

Hitsugaya chanced a look over his shoulder to check on Rangiku and was relieved to see that Isane had helped her up to her feet, and had also pulled her away to a safe distance. He could feel the whole of Kyouraku's body shaking with rage and could hear him growling in frustration.

Suddenly Kyouraku's pressure spiked, momentarily stealing the air from Hitsugaya's lungs, and causing Hanataro to fall to his knees. It was all Kyouraku needed to free his arms. He turned and pushed Hitsugaya away from him, knocking him back into the opposite wall.

Kyouraku lunged at him and wrapped both of his strong hands around Hitsugaya's throat and hoisted him up and slammed his back into the wall. His legs were dangling below him, and his vision began to blur from lack of oxygen. He brought his hands up and clasped them around Kyouraku's wrists, gripping them tightly. He then brought both his legs up and placed his feet flat against Kyouraku's solar plexus.

When he was satisfied with the position, he wasted no more time and with one big push he used his legs to shove Kyouraku away from him. The pressure of his kick caused Kyouraku's grip to slacken and release him. Simultaneously it pushed the larger man back, who tripped over Hanataro who was still sprawled on the floor and fell into the wall opposite with a crash, while Hitsugaya fell to the floor with a thump, gasping for air.

Kyouraku sprang to his feet snarling and fixed his angry glare on Hitsugaya, who was scrambling to get back on his feet. Once he was back up, he charged forwards and rammed his elbow into Kyouraku's ribs and heard a distinctive crack.

Kyouraku howled in pain and started throwing punches in a random manner which Hitsugaya managed to avoid with ease. For once being short had its advantage.

While he was dancing around and avoiding the blows aimed at him, he could feel someone behind him gathering reiatsu for a kido spell. He was pretty sure it was Unohana, but for now he didn't want to chance looking behind him with an enraged Kyouraku trying to take his head off.

The pressure of the spell peaked and Hitsugaya stepped to the side. He saw out of the corner of his eye, the sphere of kido in Unohana's hands. He recognized the colour of it and knew it was a high level binding spell that was rarely used. He looked at Unohana briefly and nodded before dropping down to his knees. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as the released Kido spell sailed over his head. He heard Kyouraku grunt as it hit him squarely in the chest throwing him backwards against the wall with a sickening crunch.

Hitsugaya looked up and watched as Kyouraku slid down the wall and fell to the floor unconscious, leaving a trail of blood down the wall. Unohana stood beside Hitsugaya and offered him a hand, which he took and pulled himself up to his feet.

Unohana calmly started issuing orders like she hadn't just injured an old friend of hers, "Isane take Lieutenant Matsumoto to treatment room four and see to her injuries. Hanataro send for a stretcher team and have Captain Kyouraku taken to treatment room two, and make sure he is bound securely."

They both replied with a "Yes Captain" and went off to perform their designated tasks.

Hitsugaya looked over to see Rangiku being escorted away by Isane, even from this distance he could see the deep bruising marring her features already. Kyouraku must have hit her full force he thought angrily.

Unohana placed her hand on his shoulder and he turned his face to look up at her "Are you injured Hitsugaya-kun?" she asked looking him over.

"I'm OK" he turned away from Unohana and bent down to pick up the sake bottle that was lying discarded on the floor, miraculously during the scuffle it had remained intact.

Hanataro returned with two other division members, who expertly transferred Kyouraku off the floor and onto a stretcher and were off in the direction of the treatment rooms in a matter of seconds.

"Toushiro, I can see that your throat and neck are badly bruised. Allow me to heal your wounds" she fixed him with a look that said no arguing the matter.

He sighed knowing this was a losing battle "Very well."

Unohana turned on her heel and began walking down the hallway she looked over her shoulder at him and he started following her "We'll talk in the treatment room."

Hitsugaya just nodded and followed, lost in his thoughts. In a matter of hours Ukitake, Kyouraku and Nanao had all been struck down. It was too much of a coincidence to consider them accidents. For once he felt truly worried, and not for himself but for Rangiku. He didn't know why but she seemed unable to detect the shift in Kyouraku's pressure as his anger flared, it was troubling. He thought for a moment that maybe it was because of her illness earlier that day, but scrapped that idea when he remembered the patrol. He could sense that Dummy Arrancar while she didn't feel a thing. Following his train of thought he remembered Ukitake saying that she failed to even recognize the office prowler approaching at all.

Was this what Ukitake was trying to tell him? Why he was warning him not to let her out of his sight? It was puzzling, Rangiku was very talented when it came to detecting other peoples presences, and was usually quite in tune with the changes of emotions in her closest friends and especially with him.

"Captain Unohana" he said "Is it possible that illness can interfere with a persons ability to detect spiritual pressures?"

Unohana paused in her tracks and turned to look at him smiling "No Toushiro, although there is a number of other things that can interfere with a persons abilities."

"Like what?" he asked like an inquisitive child who wanted to know everything about the world.

"I assume your referring to Lieutenant Matsumoto's recent bout of illness, correct?" she replied gently.

"Yes, I'm worried about her. Its not like her to fail to notice when someone's reiatsu suddenly flares up."

"I have a theory about Matsumoto's current condition, however I need to ask her a few questions and perform a couple of tests first. Then I will know more."

"What's your theory?" he asked arching an eyebrow.

Unohana held up a hand to halt any more questions from him "Captain Hitsugaya, do I need to remind you of Doctor/Patient confidentiality? I will only discuss matters of Lieutenant Matsumoto's health with Lieutenant Matsumoto."

He tried to say something but Unohana cut him off by adding "If Rangiku feels the need to share any information with you, then that is her choice."

They carried on walking down the corridor in silence, Hitsugaya once again returning to his silent musings about Rangiku.

* * *

After having his throat seen to by Unohana and briefing her on Kyouraku's strange behaviour prior to bringing him to the Fourth, he made his way to the treatment room he knew Rangiku was in. Reaching the door he knocked lightly, a couple seconds later he heard foot steps approaching and the door opened a sliver.

"Captain Hitsugaya" Isane greeted peeping through the gap, she stepped away and opened the door wider allowing him entrance.

Looking around the room he saw Rangiku propped up on one of the examination beds. She had her eyes closed and was holding an ice pack against her bruised face. He walked over to her and reached for her free hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. She jumped slightly and snapped her eyes open.

"Captain...I.." she began slightly startled.

He smirked slightly and settled himself on the edge of the bed "Are you OK Rangiku?" he asked holding her hand and reaching up with his other and pulling the ice pack away from her face. He then cupped her bruised cheek gently with his hand and began stroking it lightly with his thumb.

Rangiku sighed and leaned into his touch closing her eyes. When she opened them again she gave him a small shake of her head "I don't know how I feel."

"Rangiku-san" Isane said coming over to the bed with a hell butterfly cradled in her hand "I can release you from my care now, however Captain Unohana wishes to speak with you before you leave the Fourth."

"Lieutenant, will it be all right to see Captain Ukitake, while Captain Unohana is busy with Captain Kyouraku?" Hitsugaya asked.

"Can we check on Nanao too?" Matsumoto asked worried about her friend.

Isane looked away from them and concentrated on the hell butterfly, no doubt she was communicating with Unohana. After a few seconds she returned her gaze to them and nodded "Its fine Captain Hitsugaya, I think Captain Ukitake will be pleased to see you. Also Ise-san is in the room next to Captain Ukitake."

"Is he doing OK?" he asked surprised.

"His condition has shown great improvement. Now if you will excuse me, I need to assist my Captain" Isane said before leaving them alone in the room.

Once he heard the door click shut, he turned back to Rangiku and cupped her cheek again "Lets have a quick talk before we visit them."

"Toshi, I'm fine really," When he failed to look convinced she added, "Maybe I'm a little shaken up."

"Only a little?" he asked raising an eyebrow. He reached down and grabbed her wrist gently and lifted it up so her hand was between them, they could both clearly see it shaking.

"OK, maybe a lot," She pulled back her hand and turned her face away from him trying to avoid his eyes, "It was my own fault anyway."

"Rangiku, look at me" she reluctantly turned to face him again, once she saw the intense look in his eyes, she found it difficult to look away from him. "How is it your fault that a man twice your size, hit you full force while you wasn't looking?"

"It was stupid of me to get so close to him. I put myself in that position" she bit down on her bottom lip to stop it from trembling.

"Do you want to know what I saw in that corridor?" he questioned.

"Some stupid woman who bit of more then she could chew?" she replied bluntly.

"No Rangiku" he resisted the urge to roll his eyes "What I saw, was a woman whose only concern was the well-being of her friend" he cupped her chin and pulled her closer for a kiss "Don't beat yourself up for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and doing what you thought was for the best. There's nothing stupid about being yourself."

He felt happy when he saw the corner of her mouth quirk up ever so slightly, although it wasn't one of her usual beaming smiles, it was still there. He hated seeing her hurt and upset.

"I don't know what came over me Toshi," she said quietly "When Captain Kyouraku pushed himself away from us...the look on his face. He looked so lost and vulnerable...almost like he was scared."

Hitsugaya cocked his head to the side while he listened to Matsumoto, looking at her closely he saw a strange expression on her face, one he had never seen on her before. One minute he thought he recognized that type of look, but couldn't quite place it.

"I just felt this overwhelming urge to comfort him, like he was some lost child crying and needed help." She gave him the 'Do you know what I mean look' but honestly he was a bit baffled, and it took a lot of control not to shrug his shoulders at her statement.

He rested his hand against her bruised cheek again "Rangiku, Kyouraku is a Captain of the Gotei 13, not a small child that needs protecting."

"I know Toshi, I'm not sure what came over me. Its so confusing."

"Look, don't worry about it, we've both been under a lot of pressure. You haven't been sleeping particularly well lately. There's just one thing I wanted to ask you though." he gave her hand a little squeeze of reassurance.

When she gave him a little nod to show she was listening he carried on "Before Kyouraku lashed out at you, did you feel any change in his spiritual pressure at all?"

"No I didn't" she took in a deep breath and released it slowly "Can we go and see Nanao and Captain Ukitake now?" he knew there was more to be said on this subject, but he knew from experience if Rangiku didn't want to talk about something, there was no use in forcing her.

He smiled and slipped off the bed "Lets go" he held his hand out to her. She grabbed it and they walked out the room, heading towards the Captains wing hand in hand.

* * *

The late afternoon sun was streaming through the open window falling upon Ukitake, who snuggled deeper into his bed. The sun added to the warmth of the room which wrapped around him like a cocoon, making him feel safe and relaxed. His eyes were closed but he lay there snoozing, enjoying the gentle sounds of rustling leaves and the chirping of the birds that reached him through the window.

He took in a deep breath and let it out as a long sigh, he was surprised when the motion didn't set off a coughing fit. His chest was aching and his throat felt raw, and naturally he felt tired and drained but other then that, he didn't feel too bad.

He turned onto his side and pulled the cover over his shoulder, wrapping it around him so he could snuggle even deeper into the bed. He was intending to fall back to sleep but he heard footsteps out in the hallway approaching his room. When they stopped outside the door he assumed it was someone coming to check on him and take his vitals.

The door quietly opened and he heard two different sets of footsteps walk into the room. He decided to remain 'Asleep' knowing Unohana would not approve if he wasn't getting his rest.

One pair of footsteps stopped at the foot of his bed, while the other came closer and stopped by his side. He resisted the urge to open his eyes and peek at his visitors, he knew it was highly unlikely Unohana would allow anyone to visit until he had a sufficient amount of rest.

He flinched slightly when a warm hand rested against his forehead. So much for pretending to be asleep, the only person who would do that was Unohana. When the owner of the hand spoke up, he allowed himself a small smile. Glad for the unexpected company.

"I think he's asleep Toshi," Matsumoto said taking her hand away from his forehead.

"Try not to disturb him Rangiku, he's probably exhausted" Hitsugaya replied in a low voice.

He heard them shuffling around and then the scrape of chairs being moved and then Matsumoto spoke up again "You don't mind if I visit Nanao for a bit do you?"

"Go ahead, and take your time. I think it will be awhile before Unohana gets to see you."

He heard Matsumoto get to her feet, and take a step, then he heard the loud scrape of Hitsugaya's chair being pushed back hastily, as he shot to his feet "Careful Ran."

Curious at the little commotion he peeked an eye open and saw Hitsugaya holding Matsumoto around the waist supporting her weight.

"I'm fine Toushiro" she said pulling away from him "I just went a little light-headed."

"Are you sure?" he released his hold on her, but his hands remained hovering near her waist.

"I'm OK I think I got up a little too fast" she stepped away from him, moving towards the door and Hitsugaya dropped his arms "See you in a little while" she gave him a cheeky wink and disappeared out the door.

He closed his eyes again and listened as Hitsugaya moved back to the chair and settled himself down "So Ukitake, how much longer are you going to pretend to be asleep?"

He snapped his eyes open and saw Hitsugaya smirking back at him, he laughed sheepishly and rolled onto his back "I wasn't pretending to be asleep, I was dozing. There's a difference." he answered, his voice hoarse from his sore throat.

Hitsugaya leaned forward in his seat "How are you feeling?"

"Better then what I was, thank you" he sat up and re-adjusted his pillows behind his back so he could sit up "Retsu informed me of the extent of this attack. Thank you Toushiro, I owe you my life."

Hitsugaya shook his head "No you don't. You protected Rangiku while I was in here, we'll call it even OK."

Ukitake smiled "Speaking of Rangiku, is she feeling OK?"

Hitsugaya frowned "You saw that just now?" he leant his elbows on his knees and rested his chin in his hands.

"Yes Toushiro, is she unwell?" Ukitake noticed the worried look on Hitsugaya's face.

"She's not been sleeping well, seems like she is having a lot of nightmares. Then there is the dizzy spells as you just saw, she was throwing up this morning. She looks so exhausted lately, and the most worrying part is her lack of awareness for other peoples reiatsu."

"That is worrying" Ukitake tried to keep the smile off his face, and a good job too because Hitsugaya chose that moment to straighten up and lean back into the chair. The small captain briefly looked up at the ceiling and Ukitake caught sight of the deep purple bruising ringing his throat and neck "Toushiro what happened to you?"

Hitsugaya's hand flew to his throat "This...its nothing really."

"Don't lie to me" he wheezed "Those are strangulation marks, tell me what happened."

The door to the room opened and Matsumoto poked her head in "Captain, Nanao is still unconscious, must have been one hell of a fall."

"Nice to see you Rangiku" Ukitake called from his bed.

Matsumoto turned to face him with a beaming smile "Captain Ukitake! Your awake" she replied breezily, however the warm smile he had on his face slipped when he caught sight of Matsumoto's purple cheek and her previous comment registered in his mind. Nanao was unconscious?

He looked between Hitsugaya and Matsumoto taking in the deep bruising adorning their bodies, and Nanao was unconscious? Another thought flicked through his mind, where the hell was Shunsui? Well that was easy, if Nanao was hurt he would be by her side. He was about to question them further when the door opened once again and Isane entered the room. She looked over in his direction "Captain Ukitake its nice to see you awake."

"Thank you" he replied slightly distracted.

Isane then turned to Matsumoto, "Rangiku-san, my Captain is ready to see you now" she then looked towards Hitsugaya "Your also welcome to attend Captain Hitsugaya if Rangiku wishes for you to be there."

Hitsugaya nodded at her "I see, and how is Kyouraku?"

Ukitake felt his stomach clench, was Shunsui injured too? He wondered what could have happened.

"Captain Unohana has him securely bound and under heavy sedation. In his current condition he's a danger to himself and everyone around him" she replied glancing at the dark marks on Matsumoto's face.

"What happened!" Ukitake yelled before doubling up with a coughing fit.

Isane came over and pushed him back against the pillows "Try not to get worked up Captain Ukitake, it will aggravate your condition" she grabbed the oxygen mask that was hanging up next to his bed and placed it over his face "Remember your breathing exercises Captain."

Hitsugaya got to his feet and walked over to Matsumoto "Rangiku, go on ahead and see Unohana, I will catch up with you shortly. I think I should fill Ukitake in, on what has happened today."

Matsumoto nodded, she looked over to Ukitake and gave him a sad smile before leaving the room. Hitsugaya came back over and stood by the side of his bed and looked down at him, with a grim look on his face.

"Toushiro" he wheezed through the oxygen mask.

Hitsugaya held up his hand "Don't talk, just listen. Your not going to like this one bit, but here goes."

* * *

Forty five minutes later Matsumoto found herself lying back on an examination table while Unohana ran her hands over her stomach area, occasionally stopping to press down in certain areas, or to probe deeper with the ball of kido she held in her hands.

When she had arrived, Unohana had started out by asking her questions, ranging from her eating and sleeping habits, to how much sake she consumed. She asked about her working patterns, whether she felt stressed out or over worked. She felt secretly glad that Toushiro wasn't with her during that part of the check up. She realised now that was why Unohana wanted to see her, it had been ages since she last had a check up.

After the questions they had a very long chat about all things to do with her menstrual cycle, and whether she felt any changes in her emotions or if she experienced any sudden mood swings. They talked at great length about her nightmares and whether she had noticed any changes in her spiritual pressure.

When they had finished talking, Unohana moved onto a few basics tests. Checking her height and weight, taking her blood pressure and spirit pressure. She even had a blood test and gave a urine sample. Unohana was certainly being thorough.

"OK Rangiku, you can sit back up now" Unohana said stepping away from the table "I just want you to do one more test, then I will discuss with you, the results of your examination."

Matsumoto sat up and stretched her arms above her head, sighing when she felt a few bones pop.

"Now its a very easy test, I just want you to tell me how many Captains are currently in the Fourth at the moment, and how strongly you can feel there reiatsu signatures."

Matsumoto nodded and closed her eyes to help her concentrate. She blocked out any unnecessary distractions and allowed her senses to flow outwards. The first pressure she picked up was Toushiro's "I can feel my Captains very strongly, it jumps out at me."

Unohana nodded "That's understandable" and marked it down on her clipboard.

"I know he's with Captain Ukitake, but I cant seem to feel his pressure so well. Its there, just very weak."

"I see" Unohana made another mark on her clipboard "Can you sense anyone else?"

"Its strange, I know Captain Kyouraku is in here somewhere, but I cant even feel him" she replied screwing her eyes up tighter in concentration.

"Let me ask you another question" Unohana perched herself on the edge of the table and looked at her "If you wasn't familiar with either of their Reiatsu signatures, would you be able to pick either of them out?"

Matsumoto took a few seconds to think about that one before answering "In all honesty. Apart from my Captains pressure, everyone else's feels very weak, so much so its almost non existent to me."

"Interesting" Unohana said quietly, Matsumoto got the impression she was thinking aloud.

"Captain Unohana" Matsumoto tried to get her attention.

She looked up and smiled at her "Yes Rangiku?"

"How many Captains are in the Fourth at the moment?" she asked curious.

"Including me" she replied gently "Five."

"Five!" she closed her eyes and strained to detect them all.

Unohana placed her hand on Matsumoto's knee "Rangiku, its OK if you didn't get them all"

She opened her eyes and Unohana smiled back "But if you were curious, as well as Toushiro, Juushiro, Shunsui and myself, there is also Captain Komamura checking in on his injured division members."

"Oh...I see" she replied.

"OK just relax here, I'm going to look over the results of your tests and then we'll discuss any findings."

She nodded, and watched as Unohana rose to her feet and left the room.

While she waited for Unohana to return she closed her eyes and concentrated on trying to detect as many individual reiatsu signatures in the surrounding area as possible. Unsurprisingly she couldn't feel anyone, the only one she could feel if she tried really hard was Captain Ukitake, but that was being over shadowed by Toushiro's pressure which was very strong to her senses and stood out like a very bright beacon, almost beckoning her to go to him.

How had she failed to noticed that before, and now she understood why Toushiro had been so worried about her when she had approached Captain Kyouraku. He probably felt the change in his mood when she felt nothing at all.

She was pulled from her musing when she heard the door open, Unohana had returned and she had an odd expression on her face "Ready to hear your results Rangiku, or would you like to wait for Toushiro?"

"Its OK I think he's busy talking with Captain Ukitake, I can just fill him in later."

Unohana nodded "Very well. Firstly your blood pressure is fine. I see your spirit pressure is all over the place, but we'll look more into that later. Your blood result shows that your blood count is a little bit low, which would explain the dizzy spells you have been having, although it seems to have dropped quite recently. Have you had any recent injuries resulting in a loss of blood?"

"No, Its been ages since I've received any injury."

Unohana made a note on the clipboard "I will have to monitor that" she read down the list making quiet comments about her height and weight being fine. Finally she got to the last point on the list "And finally your urine sample shows your perfectly healthy however one thing did show up, and it explains a lot of your recent symptoms."

Rangiku perked up when she said that, oh god was it something bad?

Unohana noticed the worried look on her face and reached out and held her hand, giving her a reassuring smile, break it to her gently.

"Rangiku...You are pregnant" she informed her, giving her hand a little squeeze.

"Preg...nant?" she repeated faintly, completely at a loss for words.


	26. Chapter 26

Someone To Lean On Chapter 26

Once the initial shock wore off, a huge grin broke out on Rangiku's face and she threw herself forward, hugging Unohana "I don't believe this" she squealed happily.

Unohana pattered her back "Its good to know your happy about this, how do you think Toushiro will feel about it?"

Rangiku froze, how would Toushiro feel about it? She could imagine that he would be thrilled about it, but truthfully she didn't know how he felt about kids. Its one subject they never talked about, mostly due to Hitsugaya's hang ups and other peoples perceptions of him.

She pulled away from Unohana, slipped off the bed and began pacing "Its not something we've really talked about before." A thought occurred to her just then and her eyes lit up. "Captain Unohana, how long have I,... I mean when.."

"You mean how far along are you?" Unohana supplied.

Rangiku nodded "Yes."

"From the physical examination I performed and from the information you gave me, I estimate you are two and a half months into your pregnancy."

Matsumoto began to count back the weeks, it was hard to believe that the patrol Hitsugaya got injured on, was just over two weeks ago. So much had happened in between then and now, so two months prior to that. She mentally ran back through the weeks and the times they'd been together.

Her eyes went wide and a smile made its way to her face once she realized when their baby was conceived. Their baby she thought happily, a tiny little life they had created between them. She was going to be a Mother! And Toushiro was going to be a father!

She remembered that night like it was only yesterday, it truly was a special day followed by an unforgettable evening. It was Valentines day and Toushiro had surprised her by taking the day off and whisking her away to the world of the living. He'd started out by taking her shopping and telling her to choose herself any dress she liked for later that night. Curious she tried to question him why, but he remained secretive not revealing anything.

After the shopping trip, they went to a nice little bakery and picked up some pastries and cakes for lunch. They found a nice quiet spot in a nearby park and spent the rest of the afternoon having a picnic and talking.

When it got a bit later, they returned to the hotel Toushiro had booked them into for the night. They shared a long hot bath together before getting dressed up for the evening, she wore the dress and shoes Toushiro had bought for her earlier and he wore a suit and tie. The tie was a lovely teal colour that matched his eyes and her dress perfectly.

First he took her out for dinner at a fancy restaurant where they shared a three course meal by candlelight. Afterwards he took her to see an ice-skating show, it was amazing to watch the skaters dance in perfect synchronization with each other. The complex dance sequences and the many lifts and spins had her ooh-in and aah-in, all through out the show, and along with the live orchestra it was magical to witness. Toushiro later on admitted that he had been interested in that type of show for many years. She had no idea until he chose that night to share it with her. She could see where the ice-skating appealed to him, but she never pegged him as the type who enjoyed classical, orchestral type music, although witnessing it for herself she found it was quite fitting for him and suited him well.

Once the show finished they had a steady walk back to their hotel room. She smiled stepping in through the door, the room had been made up during their evening out and now rose petals and lit candles had been scattered about the room throwing soft light and colour everywhere. She felt a warm feeling rush through her body, who would have guessed Toushiro was this romantic. A perfect gentleman.

"Rangiku?" The hand on her shoulder abruptly wrenched her away from her reminiscing.

"Hmm?" She blinked a few times to regain her bearings.

"Are you OK? I lost you for a minute there" Unohana enquired gently.

"I was just thinking" she smiled back.

"It is bit of a shock, and a lot to take in. But I would suggest telling Toushiro as soon as possible" Unohana advised.

"I will go and talk to him now" Why wait? She thought to herself.

Unohana nodded in approval "Before you go would you like to see if you can sense its reiatsu signature?"

Matsumoto nodded, although she didn't approve of calling her child an 'It' she was curious what its energy would feel like "Captain Unohana, when will I know whether it will be a boy or a girl?"

"Right now Rangiku, if you are successful at detecting its pressure, you will know instinctively whether your child is male or female" Unohana replied smiling.

"Will I be able to detect it? I cant seem to sense anyone else lately" she said hesitantly.

"This will be different Rangiku, instead of reaching outwards, you only need to look within yourself" Unohana patted the examination bed "Come and sit down, the technique needed to do this is the same principles of meditation, but instead of reaching deep within your mind, your only going to be skimming the surface of your essence so to speak."

Unohana saw the confused look on her face "Don't worry I shall guide you through it."

Rangiku nodded and relaxed back onto the bed. Following Unohana's instructions she did a deep breathing technique to relax and calm herself down. When she felt ready she turned her awareness in on herself and sought out her own reiatsu flowing within herself. When she found the familiar warm sunshine of her being she latched onto it and allowed her awareness to flow alongside it throughout her own body.

She had never experienced this before and she found it to be a thrill, never had she needed to search for someone inside herself before, it certainly was a unique experience.

She was enjoying the sensation of cruising around her own body when a noticeable chill grabbed her attention. Focusing on the source of the slightly colder feeling, she directed her awareness in that direction and flowed towards it.

She stopped suddenly like she had just hit a wall. Her reiatsu seemed more concentrated in this area, like it was wrapping itself around the cool feeling protectively. Probing at the wall she discovered the cool feeling was Toushiro's reiatsu that was wrapped tightly around a bundle like a shell. She pushed her awareness through the chill, and quickly found that the slight chill turned frigid and harsh, almost like a line of defence to keep whatever was deeper inside safe.

Just when she though she couldn't stand much more of the cold she felt the tiniest crack of an opening form, admitting her entrance to what resided within. The part of Toushiro's reiatsu that lay within her, offered their tiny bundle additional protection. Which recognized her and allowed her through.

She now understood better, between her wall of concentrated reiatsu and Toushiro's protective shell, it meant nobody but themselves could go probing inside her, which meant their child could grow inside her peacefully.

Matsumoto felt overwhelmed, now she had passed through the two barriers set in place by herself and Toushiro, she came across a different pressure and knew straight away it was their baby. She wrapped her presence around it like a hug and felt unbelievably joyous when the third pressure reacted settling against her own. This new pressure had a very mild feel about it. It gave off a cool and calm feeling, it wasn't as warm and sunshiny as her own reiatsu, but it wasn't icy cold like Toushiro either. If she had to describe it, she was summer, Toushiro was winter, and this child of theirs was a good mix between the two. Somewhere in the middle.

She worked out in her head when the baby would be due, End of October, start of November. How fitting she thought, it would be an Autumn baby. She wrapped herself tighter around the bundle, cradling it. Remembering why she came here she knew instinctively what the babies sex was. She was thrilled and she knew Toushiro would be too, once she found him and told him the news.

Reluctantly she slowly withdrew her awareness away from the bundle, and flowed back through Toushiro's ice cold shell of protection. She retreated back out of her own wall and flowed with her reiatsu until she came back to her own senses.

Unohana had warned her prior to going within herself to take her time on the return trip. If she came out too fast, she would disorientate herself and most likely throw up or faint.

When she felt ready, she slowly cracked her eyes open and found Unohana looking down at her smiling. She couldn't help but beam back at her.

"I assume you was successful then, Rangiku?" she asked in her motherly voice.

She nodded and felt her eyes tearing up "Its so beautiful."

"Do you know what the sex is?" Unohana asked intrigued.

She nodded, it took her a few breaths till she was able to speak again "Toushiro is going to be thrilled" she was so overwhelmed with so many different feelings the tears began to stream down her face.

* * *

Perched up in a tree, Gin sat observing the flurry of activity taking place around the main entrance of the Fourth. He was disguised in his usual stealth force uniform he had stolen from the Second which he had grown quite fond of. It had proven to be very handy and it completely sealed off his reiatsu, making his presence impossible to detect.

He watched as the fake Rangiku walked across the courtyard and casually strolled through the doors of the Fourth. All the dummy had to do was find Hitsugaya and keep him distracted. Now was the perfect time, his quick scan earlier showed that Hitsugaya and Rangiku were in different locations. The first time in days that had happened, Hitsugaya certainly was being overprotective.

As long as the fake Rangiku and the real Rangiku didn't meet, this plan should go without a hitch. Stage one was for both of them to get inside, the hard part was getting himself inside and finding a suitable place to hide while he waited to proceed with stage two of the plan. Stage three was to get out again, but he had that part well covered.

He noticed a lull in activity and dropped from the tree and sprinted towards the open window opposite. Peeping inside, he saw that the room was deserted, so he climbed inside. He extended his senses seeking out the real Rangiku and found her in one of the examination rooms with Unohana, that could be slightly problematic.

He got as close to the room as he dared and found the comfiest store cupboard and slipped inside. Nothing to do, but to wait now.

* * *

Loud barking coughs could be heard coming from the Thirteenth division Captain's sick room, along with raised voices. Hitsugaya had been trying to relay the events of the last few hours to Ukitake, but had quickly regretted that decision.

Not only had the news of Nanao's apparent fall and Kyouraku's recent condition upset the sick Captain, but the news that both Hitsugaya and Matsumoto had been viciously attacked by his best friend had him completely riled up.

Hitsugaya was stunned, he knew Ukitake would not be pleased by recent developments, but he never expected him to react this strongly about it. Yes he knew Ukitake cared very much for his friends, peers and subordinates, but in all honesty was it necessary to get this worked up about it?

Ukitake doubled over and threw a hand up to cover his mouth while he coughed harshly. Once the fit started to die down, he pulled his hand away and took in a few deep breaths. Hitsugaya noticed the few specks of blood on Ukitake's palm before the older man whipped his hand out of sight.

Hitsugaya sighed feeling guilty that it was him who had caused Ukitake this slight relapse in his health. Maybe he should have waited a little bit before telling him.

"I'm sorry Ukitake, I should have waited to tell you" Hitsugaya said apologetically "Its not helping with your recovery."

Ukitake waved his concerns away with a flick of his wrist "No, don't be sorry, I'm fine" he threw his hand over his mouth as he began hacking away once again.

"You don't sound like your fine" Hitsugaya said folding his arms across his chest, he saw blood streaming through Ukitake's fingers and running down his arms in rivulets.

He stepped away from Ukitake's side and went over to the night stand, where a bowl of warm water was kept with a wash cloth. Once Ukitake had gained control over his latest coughing fit, he picked the bowl up and took it over to him.

"Thanks Toushiro" Ukitake took the bowl from him and began wiping the blood off his hands and arm.

"Ukitake.." Hitsugaya began, not really sure if it was a good idea to ask.

"Just say what's on your mind Toushiro" Ukitake replied sensing his hesitation.

"Well.. I was just going to say, its not like you to get so worked up like this" he gestured towards Ukitake "Over something like this... Even that night when you lost your Lieutenant..."

Ukitake's eyes widened and Hitsugaya caught the flash of pain that crossed his features and regretted bringing it up. He had just ripped open an old wound Ukitake had been carrying with him since that night, and no doubt for the rest of his life, he thought glumly.

"If you have a point to make, then make it Toushiro" Ukitake snapped back coldly. He sighed pinching the bridge of his nose, realising how uncharacteristically harsh that sounded "I'm sorry Toushiro, that was rude."

"And that's the point I'm trying to make, Its not like you to get so worked up like this over something. What's got you so riled up?" Hitsugaya asked calmly.

"I just think that these accidents that seem to be happening are a little too coincidental," Ukitake surmised, lying back against his pillows.

"Clearly the person behind all of this is trying to prevent us from gaining ground with the investigation, which is predictable." Hitsugaya sat himself down on the chair and pulled it closer to Ukitake's bedside.

"I just find it hard to stomach that this person would be so blatantly careless about taking someone's life. Surely they would know of the consequences if anyone of us had been killed, whether it looked like an accident or not" Ukitake said while absent-mindedly drumming his fingers at his sides, "I just have an awful feeling this whole affair is some kind of personal grudge at play."

"How so?" Hitsugaya got to his feet and began pacing.

"Come over here Toushiro" Ukitake instructed.

Hitsugaya's eyebrows shot up in surprise at the odd request but he walked over to the bed anyway. When he got close enough Ukitake raised an hand and gripped his shoulder tightly and pulled him even closer so their faces were only inches apart.

Ukitake spoke in a very low voice that was barely a whisper "You should of died that night Toushiro" the grip on his shoulder tightened and he could feel the skin bruising, "That much is obvious, just like I should have died."

"Ukitake.." Hitsugaya tried to pry Ukitake's death grip off his shoulder.

"Don't you see it Toushiro? Don't you see what is happening here?" Ukitake kept glancing towards the door "Its all been a set-up."

"But... What..." Hitsugaya was feeling alarmed at Ukitake's strange behaviour.

"Toushiro, who was the last person who saw you before you got attacked?"

"Rangiku."

"Other then myself, who else has been inside my quarters this last couple of weeks on a regular basis?" Ukitake asked agitated.

"Rangiku?"

"Who is Nanao's best friend?"

"Rangiku...What are you tr..." Hitsugaya was feeling uneasy.

"Shut up and listen" Ukitake cut him off "And who is Shunsui's drinking buddy?"

"Rangiku." Hitsugaya narrowed his eyes, Ukitake was making no sense and it did not sit well with him, "What are you trying to say?"

"You know Rangiku wouldn't do anything to harm you, just like she wouldn't harm Nanao, Shunsui and Myself," Ukitake's grip on his shoulder tightened even more "But look at it from an outsiders point of view."

Hitsugaya tried to see where Ukitake was going with this but was failing miserably "I don't understand what your trying to say."

The look of exasperation on Ukitake's face momentarily made him feel like he was a dumb child who couldn't grasp that, one plus one equalled two. "Think Toushiro!"

* * *

Matsumoto was practically skipping down the Fourth division's hallways, she had just finished talking with Unohana and after scheduling a few appointments the gentle Captain had sent her on her way.

She couldn't put words to the feelings she currently felt inside of her, all she knew was that she couldn't wait to tell Toushiro what she had found out, she noticed he was still with Ukitake.

Toushiro's reiatsu stuck out like a sore thumb on her radar, Unohana had explained that because she was pregnant and Toushiro was the father, she would be more sensitive to his reiatsu. It would dominate her senses more which would result in everyone else's feeling a lot weaker and faint.

Too wrapped up in her thoughts Matsumoto failed to notice a dark figure slip out of the doorway she had just passed. She rounded the next corner humming happily oblivious to the fact she was being followed.

She was mentally running through a list of baby names when a strong arm clamped around her waist followed by a hand covering her mouth stifling the scream she was about to let out. She froze in shock, she had no idea who was behind her. Instinct kicked in and she planted her feet in a solid stance.

Twisting around she rammed her elbow into her attackers ribs and stamped on one of their feet. She heard a deep grunt of pain behind her and recognized it as male. The hold on her waist slackened and she faced the tall man. She shoved him back while he was still off balance and followed up with a kick to the groin.

Her attacker fell to his knees with a pained whimper, and she turned tail and began to run. The corridors flew past her in a blur, but she could hear the attacker hot on her heels, apparently she didn't kick him hard enough.

Her plan was to keep running until she reached Ukitake's room and hopefully the idiot that chose to jump her wouldn't be so brave with Toushiro to contend with. She knew it was cowardly running away, and she knew she could probably deal with the man. Hell she had been caught up in her fair share of bar brawls in her time, but this time she had an overwhelming feeling to protect her little bundle.

She rounded a corner and froze, she had reached a dead end. Great she thought, how the hell did she lose her way so easily. She was about to back up and retrace her path, but the sound of running footsteps approaching sent that plan out the window.

She dropped into another stance ready to fight if she had to, however the attacker rounded the corner with a kido ball in hand and without warning shot it at her. The force of the spell hitting her in the chest sent her flying back and crashing to the floor in a heap. She tried jumping to her feet and growled in frustration when she couldn't move. Paralysing kido just what she needed, now she was completely helpless on the floor.

Her attacker came stalking closer to her, pulling something from the inside of his robes. When he got closer she saw that it was some kind of dart, he knelt down and pricked the dart to her neck. Her eyes widened but there was absolutely nothing she could do while paralysed.

Her body began to feel heavy and her vision began to swim and gradually grew darker, her last conscious thought before the darkness claimed her, was sadness at not being able to tell Toushiro about their baby.

* * *

Hitsugaya was frustrated and his head was pounding, Ukitake had obviously figured something out. Something significant. Yet rather then telling him straight out, he seemed to prefer turning it into some sort of pop quiz.

"Toushiro I can see that your confused and over thinking the matter" Ukitake said watching Hitsugaya pacing back and fourth.

"Maybe if you stopped talking in riddles and just told me what you have obviously figured out, then maybe I wouldn't be confused" he replied hotly.

"I'm just trying to get you to think outside of the box" Ukitake covered his mouth and suppressed the cough that had been irritating his throat the last few minutes.

"What does Rangiku have to do with all of this?" he sighed defeated.

"Everything Toushiro and I have two possible theories."

Hitsugaya ceased his pacing and came over to Ukitake's bedside, he folded his arms across his chest and fixed the older man with a scowl "Spill it."

"I think whoever is responsible for all this is trying to implicate Rangiku" Ukitake looked over at Hitsugaya and when he was satisfied he was following he continued, "Looking at it from an outsiders point of view, she was the last person to see you before you got injured. If you had died that would be highly suspicious, knowing what we know now, about the dummies."

"My medication was spiked, Rangiku has spent a lot of time in my division prior to that incident. People would be quick to assume she could have easily slipped something inside during that time."

"What about Shunsui and Nanao?" Hitsugaya had a dark look in his eyes "Surely there is no way that could be connected with Rangiku."

"Well I will admit there is no way they can accuse Rangiku of hurting Nanao, at the time of Nanao's accident Rangiku was here with you."

"Maybe that was the original intention, but it still doesn't quite fit" Hitsugaya ran a hand through his hair frustrated "What's your second theory?"

"I don't think you was the intended target out on that patrol Toushiro, I reckon it was Rangiku, and you ruined the plan by sending her back" Ukitake lurched forward when a cough took him by surprise.

"So when that plan failed, they decided to target me instead just to attempt to get me out of the way?"

Ukitake nodded "Yes and with you out of the way, it would have been easier to get to her, hence why they tried again when they knew Rangiku would be asleep in the office."

"But they wasn't counting on you being there with her, you was watching over her" Hitsugaya began to pace "Naturally that would piss them off and the only way to get to Rangiku would be through you, whoever it is didn't want to fight with you directly."

"Exactly Toushiro, so they spiked my medication to get me out of the way. Obviously Shunsui would be in on it so naturally they needed to do the same with him.."

"What about Nanao?" Hitsugaya asked eager to fit all the pieces of the puzzle together.

"Nanao is one smart lady, I assume she was onto something but this person probably didn't want her getting too close to the information she was looking for."

Hitsugaya rubbed an hand over his tired eyes "Well if nothing, we have a motive. Whoever is responsible clearly wants Rangiku. Now if we can just figure out who."

"Toushiro, I suggest you go back to the library and look through all that information we have gathered. It cant wait any longer."

Toushiro nodded "I agree, I will go now. There's got to be something more we are over looking."

The door to the room opened and Matsumoto strolled in, he had been so engrossed with his conversation with Ukitake he never noticed her presence approaching.

"Just in time Rangiku, I was about to head to the library" he looked over his shoulder at Ukitake and was startled by how stiff Ukitake's posture had suddenly become, and worse he was glaring at Rangiku.

Confused he turned back to face Rangiku, something was different about her but he couldn't place it...


	27. Chapter 27

Thank you Everyone who has left a review, I love reading each comment. Don't want to keep you long Happy Reading!

* * *

Someone To Lean On Chapter 27

"Something wrong Captain?" Matsumoto asked in her usual bubbly voice.

To anyone walking past at that moment, that simple question would have seemed perfectly normal, and it was that simple question that convinced Hitsugaya he was right and this Rangiku standing before him was not his Rangiku.

Sure she looked exactly like her, standing there pouting at him. The glint of mischief was in her eyes, she wore her trademark necklace and her pink scarf draped over her shoulders. However he wasn't focusing on what he was seeing, more like he was focusing on what he wasn't seeing. The deep purple bruising she should have on her cheek was gone, there was no dark bags under her eyes from her recent lack of sleep. Even the pale complexion she had before she went to see Unohana had simply vanished. This Rangiku was too fresh faced and bubbly.

How she just greeted him emphasized the fact that this was not Rangiku, she had called him 'Captain'. Sure in front of their squad members and other members of the Gotei 13 she would be formal and show the proper respect, but amongst their close circle of friends and when they were alone she would only call him by his first name or 'Toshi'. With just himself and Ukitake in the room, that was just plain strange.

She even felt wrong, or more like he didn't feel an overwhelming urge to protect her with his life like he'd been getting these last couple of months. It was confusing he loved Rangiku heart and soul and would go to the ends of the earth to protect her, but something deep inside of him was screaming in rejection at this person before him. She also lacked something important, he didn't know what was missing but his whole being was aware on a deep level that the thing missing, was the glue that had bound him and Rangiku together.

He glanced back over his shoulder and caught Ukitake's eye, who gave him a tiny nod. He too had noticed something was wrong and this wasn't their Rangiku.

"No Rangiku" he answered her previous question "Did you get those reports finished?" he asked wanting to gauge her reaction.

"Ohhh Captain!" she whined in a perfect imitation "You know how much I hate paperwork, and being shut up in that stuffy office is no fun" she pouted.

Hitsugaya folded his arms across his chest and narrowed his eyes, glaring at the imposter before him. Obviously this person standing before him wasn't aware that he currently had no office. Three years ago this whole routine would have been common place between them and back then it would have been believable. But in the two years they had grown closer together, Rangiku had grown to be a lot more mature and serious, while he had relaxed and wasn't so tightly strung. They really was good for each other.

So if this Rangiku was an imposter, then where the hell was his Rangiku? He extended his senses in the direction of the examination rooms, knowing that Rangiku was currently with Unohana. He sensed that Unohana was back in her office and he could pick up no trace of Rangiku anywhere else in the infirmary. That worried him.

He was about to present the imposter with another question, but had to quickly dive out of the way as Ukitake had rapidly gathered a ball of kido and shot it at the fake Rangiku only narrowly missing him. The spell struck her squarely in the stomach and threw her back out the doorway and into the corridor outside.

Ukitake threw back the covers and swung his feet over the side of the bed, while Hitsugaya scrambled back up.

"Are you insane Ukitake!" Hitsugaya yelled jumping back to his feet and hurrying out the door "We need answers from that thing."

Stepping out into the corridor, he found the Rangiku look alike lying face down and unmoving. He slowly walked closer to her proceeding with caution, wondering how it was even possible to impersonate someone so accurately.

"Careful Toushiro" Ukitake warned, who was poking his head through the door while leaning on the frame "Its a good imitation of Rangiku but unfortunately a persons reiatsu just cant be duplicated. It feels similar to the office prowler...Artificial."

Hitsugaya snorted "You picked up on the feel of the reiatsu first right?"

Ukitake nodded "Yes... Did you?"

"No..." He glanced over his shoulder before turning back to the imposter lying at his feet "I know Rangiku better then anyone else, while this would have been a good imitation three years ago..."

Hitsugaya took a step closer and the imposter sprang to their feet and an intense blast of heavy pressure radiated from it sending him back several paces and flooring him. He struggled to lift his head up and he saw Ukitake was also on his knees struggling with the density of the pressure surrounding them. He looked to where the imposter was standing and saw it coalescing back into its original smoky appearance.

Fighting against the pressure he managed to push himself up into a kneeling position, never once taking his eyes off the dummy hovering a few metres away.

While neither of them could move, the hovering dummy gradually started drifting away from them down the corridor. Hitsugaya could hear Ukitake struggling with his breathing and knew as soon as this pressure lifted, he would have to move fast to pursue it and make sure it didn't gain too much ground on him. No way in hell was he letting it slip away and escape.

He watched as the dummy reached the end of the corridor and drifted through the window that was slightly cracked open. Once he lost sight of it the heavy pressure released him and he could breathe again.

He sprang to his feet and started sprinting down the corridor in hot pursuit, Ukitake's cries of "NO TOUSHIRO WAIT!" fell on deaf ears.

As he ran closer to the window he braced himself and leapt through it with a loud crash of shattering glass. He landed on his feet outside, in the garden and quickly scanned around for any trace of the dummy.

It was hovering on a nearby roof, almost like it was waiting for him and taunting him in some odd way. He leapt to the roof in a flash of shunpo and unsurprisingly it had moved a short distance away to another rooftop, and so the game of cat and mouse began.

* * *

Gin watched from his crouched position with a wicked grin on his face, as the dummy lured Hitsugaya away from the Fourth. When he was satisfied that Hitsugaya was a reasonable distance away he reached down and scooped Rangiku up in his arms and tossed her unconscious form over his shoulder.

It would have been tricky making his way back to the central library with her so clearly visible, so he had come prepared and as soon as the dart had taken effect and knocked her out cold, he had stuffed her into a body bag.

He found it highly doubtful anyone would bat an eyelid at a member of the stealth force carrying that type of cargo, but still caution was called for.

After one final look around he emerged from his hiding place and made his escape.

* * *

After managing to regain control of his breathing Ukitake used the door frame to help pull himself back to his feet. He looked down the hallway at the smashed window and slammed his fist into the wall in frustration. It was so blatantly obvious this had all been a mere distraction, and despite his attempted warning Toushiro had stormed off after the dummy playing right into this sick little game.

He doubled over, gripping the door frame with one hand while he coughed his guts out. In his current agitated state he had induced another coughing fit. He coughed harshly into his right hand, his lungs burned from the strain and pressure in his aching chest.

He felt two hands resting on both of his shoulders and when he managed to get his coughing under control he straightened up and turned around to see Unohana looking at him concerned.

"Retsu" he wheezed out. The sweat was pouring off his forehead and trickling down the sides of his face.

She guided him back into his room and made him sit down on the edge of the bed "Breathe Juushiro, slow and steady breaths."

He took in a deep breath but was quickly back on his feet moving closer to Unohana, he reached out and gripped both of her upper arms "Retsu, where's Rangiku? She was with you.." he demanded.

Unohana calmly pushed him back towards the bed and made him sit down "Juushiro your aggravating your condition, calm yourself first" she said sternly yet managing to maintain her gentleness.

He concentrated on the breathing exercises he was taught, they helped him to breathe normally but as for calming him down, there was no chance of that. Unohana who had been looking outside in the corridor surveying the damage turned back towards him "Juushiro, what happened here?"

He quickly recalled what had transpired, when he had finished he got to his feet again and placed his hands on Unohana's shoulders "Retsu I believe whoever is responsible for all this is after Rangiku, its obvious that imposters intentions were to lure Toushiro away from here...I just wish we knew who is behind all of this and what they could possibly want with her."

Unohana reached up with her hands and rested one over each of Ukitake's that were still on her shoulders. She gave them a gentle squeeze "Juushiro, Rangiku was with me, but after her appointment she headed back over here to share her news with Toushiro" she looked away for a minute "Are you saying she never made it back?"

The expression on Ukitake's face told her all she needed to know "She never arrived Retsu."

Unohana's composure slipped ever so briefly, both of them simultaneously scanned the fourth for any sign of Rangiku's presence. It became quickly apparent that she was no longer in the Fourth "Does Toushiro know she has been taken yet?"

"No Retsu, he took off after the imposter. I tried to warn him it was a set-up but he didn't listen."

"Juushiro, we have to find Rangiku fast" Unohana gripped his hands tightly "She's in a very delicate condition."

Ukitake looked down at Unohana "Is it what we suspected Retsu?"

Unohana gave a tiny little nod and Ukitake pulled her into a hug "If the circumstances were different I'd be jumping for joy" he said with a pained smile on his face.

They were interrupted by a pair of footsteps approaching the room, they pulled away quickly and turned to face the door and was surprised to find Nanao stumbling her way into the room.

She leaned on the door frame heavily and looked at both of them "Captain Ukitake, Captain Unohana" they could both see that she was a bit shaky on her legs.

Unohana went over to her and helped guide her into the room and sat her on the edge of Ukitake's bed "Lieutenant Ise how long have you been awake?"

"A few minutes... Where's my Captain?" she asked looking up at them. Her hair was loose from its usual clip and it cascaded down her shoulders, framing her spectacle-less face.

Ukitake shared a look with Unohana before moving over to the bed and sitting down next to her "Nanao, do you know what happened to you?"

Nanao subconsciously reached one of her hands up and rubbed the back of her head where it collided with the bookcase "Of course I do, I was in the library and had a fall, or I was pushed to be more precise."

Ukitake's eyes widened "Did you catch a glimpse of the person who pushed you?"

"Yes but I don't see how it could be him...he's suppose to be dead" Nanao replied quietly "But I don't know anyone else who has those eyes and that grin."

Ukitake put his arm around her shoulder "Nanao please...tell us."

"Ichimaru...Gin Ichimaru" she replied.

Ukitake looked over to Unohana and saw her equally shocked expression, it suddenly became apparent why Matsumoto had gone missing. As to where she had been taken was another matter.

"Captain Ukitake" Nanao said quietly pulling Ukitake away from his avenue of thought "Did something happened to my Captain?"

* * *

Hitsugaya was feeling incredibly frustrated, he'd been pursuing the smoky creature for some time now and he'd failed to even get close to it. He was furious that something like this had the nerve to try and deceive him by posing as Rangiku.

He knew Ukitake wouldn't be happy that he'd ignored him such as he did, but he just couldn't afford for this dummy to slip away. From what he'd been told there was three of these creatures, and two had already been destroyed. Preferably they needed to keep this one intact if they had any hope of getting to the bottom of things.

Frankly he was getting bored of playing cat and mouse, it felt like he was being led in circles just for the hell of it. He skidded to a halt and stopped just barely an inch from the edge of the roof he had been running on.

He noted that the creature stopped a few seconds after he did and stayed hovering on the spot a few rooftops away from him. Interesting, this one seemed content to lead him around, whereas the last one he came into contact with was perfectly happy to follow him around.

He turned his back on the creature and made a show of stepping away and heading back in the direction he came. He felt the creature whoosh past him causing his haori and black robes to swish in the passing breeze. Looking ahead of him the creature had planted itself on the opposite end of the roof directly blocking his path back to the fourth.

Hitsugaya ground his teeth together, it was happy to lead him away from the fourth, and now it was reluctant for him to return. He felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, this was its plan all along and he'd stupidly fallen for it. It wanted to lure him away from the fourth, but why pose as Rangiku? Surely it was obvious he would have known it was a fake...unless the person responsible just needed to use it as a temporary distraction.

He thought back to what he was discussing with Ukitake before this clone had shown up. They had both agreed that someone was out to get Rangiku, and they had no problem about who they took out in the process. Then it all fell into place for him, this creature was intended to distract him just long enough so Rangiku would be an easier target. Without him there and Ukitake, Kyouraku and Nanao incapacitated so to speak she would be vulnerable on her own. At least she was with Unohana for now, but either way he needed to get back there quick.

He took two steps forward and the creature seemed to tense waiting for his next move, he had no time for a long fight so he drew Hyourimaru and charged forwards raising his sword in a wide arc.

He was expecting the creature to release the heavy pressure from before, he was expecting it to use the same tactics as the previous dummy he dispatched. Hell he was even expecting it to use all the stalling tactics and time wasters imaginable to prevent him from returning to the fourth. He wasn't however expecting his sword to connect on the first blow cleaving the white mask in two and causing the creature to disintegrate into nothing. He watched dumbfounded as the last of the particles dissolved into nothing and the two remaining pieces of the mask clattered to the tiled roof. What the hell?

He took a few steps closer and reached a hand out to collect the broken pieces of mask. He turned the pieces over and his blood ran cold when he saw the message written on the back of it.

_'Figured it out yet? I'm taking back what is mine!' _

Rangiku! He let out a long frustrated growl and stepped into shunpo heading back to the fourth as fast as he could.

On the way his mind kept mulling over the words he'd just read '_I'm taking back what is mine!' _

Those words... It was too much of a coincidence, and it was impossible that it could be that man, a dead man. He fought him in the winter war, he dealt the killing blow, he watched as the light left his eyes and his body dissolved into spirit particles. How could anyone possibly survive that?

Yet the last words to leave his mouth were forever etched in his mind.

'_Some day...Some day I will be back. Some day I will take back what is mine' _

Back then he just shrugged it off as the ramblings of a dying man, but now he wasn't so sure. He was about to argue with himself that it was impossible that Ichimaru could have faked his own death, but then Aizen's face popped up into his mind.

OK maybe it wasn't so impossible after all, and at this point in time it was the only plausible explanation. All he wanted to know was how? How did Ichimaru manage to fool him?

He touched down in middle of the fourths main courtyard and sprinted up the steps, making his way back to Ukitake's room.

He'd only gone down a few corridors when he came to an abrupt halt, after catching a hint of Rangiku's energy.

He closed his eyes concentrating on the slight trace that had been left behind. Her presence lingered mostly in one of the examination rooms, however a faint trail led away from the room and down the corridor he was currently standing in.

He followed the faint trace of energy like a trail of breadcrumbs, at first it went in the general direction of Ukitake's room. He turned a corner and he noticed the trail suddenly felt stronger and he wondered if she ran into trouble here.

He hurried along following the rest of the trial, picking up the sense of urgency in her lingering energy. He reached the end of this corridor and her energy went off to the right, that was odd Ukitake's room was the left turn. Had she been in a panic and took the wrong turn?

He followed the corridor to the right and soon stumbled upon a dead end and Rangiku's energy just vanished. This alarmed him and he felt the bottom of his stomach drop out. Ukitake was right; it had been a set up. Rangiku had been snatched away from him while he was off chasing that damn creature.

He glimpsed something pink out the corner of his eye and saw Rangiku's scarf lying discarded on the floor. He went over to pick it up and ran the smooth silk through his fingers. He could smell her scent on it and he felt the familiar overwhelming urge to protect her stir up deep inside of him.

"I will find you, I promise."

* * *

When Matsumoto came to she immediately felt the panic swell up and rise within her, everything was dark and she began thrashing around desperately trying to free her arms which had been tied behind her back.

She realised she was panicking and on the verge of hyperventilating, so with a huge effort she drew in a deep breath and tried to release it slowly. It came out as an unsteady shudder so she forced herself to repeat it several more times till her breathing pattern had returned to some sort of normalcy.

Once the initial panic had passed, she could focus on her surroundings better, and came to realise she was lying on a cold floor on her side, with her arms securely tied behind her. As for the darkness, it was simply a dark cloth that had been tied around her head to obscure her vision.

She let out an exasperated sigh and tried shuffling around so she could attempt to sit up. She had been so busy in her movements she failed to hear the other sounds coming from nearby, so when she felt a hand rest on her arm she practically jumped out of her skin. She managed to stifle the scream that wanted to escape her lips and instead it came out more like a yelp.

She felt the hand flinch away and she froze, straining her ears to listen for any further sounds. It seemed like she wasn't alone here, where ever here was. She could hear someone nearby, but like her they had frozen and was most likely listening too.

Growing impatient at the lack of noise she called out in the hopes the other person was a friend rather then a foe.

"Is someone there?" she asked holding her breath waiting for some sort of reply.

"Ra...Rangiku-san?" replied a familiar voice shyly.

"Momo! Is that Momo? Where are you? I cant see anything.." she replied relieved that someone familiar was close by, yet she still felt frustrated at the lack of sight.

"Hang on Rangiku-san, the light is really dull in here" Momo replied.

Rangiku listened as she heard Momo slowly shuffling closer to where she was lying on the floor. She could also hear her hands patting the floor as she approached from somewhere to her right.

A few minutes passed and she felt the hand from before fall upon her shoulder. She stayed still while it travelled clumsily closer to her neck, then fumbled as it searched for the blindfold. Finally it was pulled away and she blinked trying to adjust to the new light level. It was still pretty gloomy but it was much better then being completely in the dark.

"Better?" Momo asked kneeling by her side.

"Much better, thank you" she replied gratefully.

"Here, let me help you up" Momo offered as she helped Rangiku into a sitting position. Once she was sat comfortably Momo started fiddling with the rope that tied her hands back.

In no time she felt the rope fall away from her hands and she flicked her wrists to regain some of the feeling back "Thanks."

Momo came and sat down by her side, and drew her knees closer to her body and wrapped her arms around them. Rangiku looked at her closely, it wasn't easy in the dark gloom, but she was pretty sure Momo looked a lot thinner then the last time she saw her. It almost looked like she had been here for awhile, curiosity got the better of her and she decided to enquire, "Momo how long have you been here?"

"I don't know, its always so dark in here. Its hard to make a guess."

Rangiku let her eyes roam around the area, it seemed like they was in a small make shift cell that sat in the corner of a much larger room. From her vantage point she could see several monitors casting a soft blue glow and a high backed chair. She leant forward on her knees and crawled closer to the bars to see more of the room.

"Careful Rangiku-san! Those bars are charged with some powerful kido!" Momo warned when she got a bit closer to them.

Rangiku held up an hand a few inches away from the bars, she could feel the kido resonating off them, making her hands tingle and the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. She pulled her hand away and went back over to Momo, sitting by her side.

"Momo, how did you end up here?" Rangiku asked, wondering where they were, she hoped they were still somewhere in the Seireitei.

"Its all a bit hazy, last thing I can remember was doing the paperwork" Momo pinched the bridge of her nose "I remember locking the office up after I finished for the day. Everything else is a blank after that, until I woke up here."

"Can you remember anything else before you was in the office?" Rangiku asked, hoping to get an idea of how long Momo had been here.

"Erm.." Momo cradled her head between her hands.

"Its OK take your time" Rangiku reached an arm out and pulled Momo into a hug, as a long silence fell between them.

"Toushiro" Momo spoke up several minutes later "I remember seeing Toushiro on the way to the office. He'd just been released from the fourth."

"That was..." Rangiku calculated the days, so much had happened in a few short days. Before she had been knocked unconscious that would have been three days ago, but she had no idea how long she had been knocked out for, so maybe four days? "Three or four days ago is my guess Momo."

"It feels a lot longer then that" Momo wiped her sleeve across her face, Rangiku noticed this and gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze, she could feel Momo trembling.

"Have you seen anyone else here?" Rangiku asked, wanting as much information as possible.

She had no intentions of staying locked up, as soon as an opportunity presented itself she'd take it. She refused to be the 'Damsel in Distress' type, who sat around waiting to be rescued. Besides nothing was going to stop her telling Toushiro about their child.

"There's a person who always seems to come and go, I haven't had a good look at them yet" Momo began "Its always so gloomy in here and the person always wears black."

"I see" Rangiku narrowed her eyes and rose to her feet "Was it the same person who brought me here?" she asked while trying to get a look at the computer screens opposite, they were a bit too far away to properly make out what was on them, but she recognized a few places from around the Seireitei.

"Yes Rangiku-san" Momo said also getting to her feet.

Rangiku looked at the bars once again "There's got to be a way out of here" she said more to herself then anyone in particular.

"No Rangiku-san! We should sit tight, I'm sure now your here, Shiro-chan will come along and get us out of here."

A loud snort followed by laughing could be heard coming from the other side of the room. Both Rangiku and Momo whipped their heads in the direction of the laughing.

They watched as the chair rotated slowly, and the black clad figure rose to their feet and walked over to their cell "Yare Yare, what makes you so sure Captain Chibi will come for you?" drawled a familiar voice.

Rangiku felt like she had been punched in the stomach. That voice, it had haunted her nightmares for so long. She felt the colour drain from her face as a cold sweat broke out over her body, he was suppose to be dead.

Gin drew up close to the bars and pulled the covering off his face, "Tell me Momo, how long have you been here now?" the ever present grin on his face never once faltered.

Rangiku looked at Momo and could see her shaking. Her hands were clenched tightly together making her knuckles appear white, Rangiku doubted she was even capable of speech.

"Seeing as you don't want to talk I shall tell you" Gin leaned even closer to the bars "Four days Momo, you've been here four days. Little Shiro-chan hasn't even noticed that your gone."

Rangiku clenched her jaw, listening to Gin taunt Momo like that was making her feel sick to her stomach. She could hear Momo trying to suppress her sobs.

"Some close childhood friend he is..." Gins eyes briefly flickered over to Rangiku before looking back at Momo, "I'm afraid your knight in shining armour is going to be somewhat busy."

Gin looked away from Momo and levelled his gaze on Rangiku "I wouldn't even think about escaping Ran-chan, I'm looking forward to seeing the look on your face, when you see the look on Chibi-chans face when he finds out your dead" Gin chuckled "I'm going to enjoy breaking him, he always was amusing to mess with."

Gin moved away from from the cell and re-covered his face, then he went over to a nearby table and picked up a small box before coming back to the cell "I'd love to stay and chat, but I need to mess with Chibi-chan some more."

Gin moved away from them and started walking towards the door before changing direction and going over to the computer screens "Almost forgot..." he picked something up and brought it over to the cell "Wouldn't want you to miss the show now would we?" he placed one of the monitors in front of the bars and switched it on.

He turned towards the door waving over his shoulder "Enjoy the show now... Rangiku."

Gin had been gone several minutes before Rangiku remembered how to breathe again. As quickly as he'd appeared he was gone again, some things never change.

She rested a hand against her stomach, rubbing soothing circles over the area where she knew her baby was resting. She had changed though, she had given her heart entirely to Toushiro. She had no idea what Gin was planning, but if those plans involved her leaving with him, then he had another thing coming.

First things first, she needed to break out of this cell, "Momo" she looked closely at the kido charged bars seeking out a weak point "I need your help if we have any hope of getting out of here."


	28. Chapter 28

Phew back with another Chapter already, I got so excited writing this chapter it practically wrote itself. Many Thanks to the people who take the time to leave a review, and also thankyou to the people who favourited/alerted etc. I hope you enjoy this Chapter and as always any comments and feedback are appriciated. Happy Reading ^_^

* * *

Someone To Lean On Chapter 28

The anxiety Hitsugaya felt knotted tightly in his throat and stomach as he marched down the corridor towards Ukitake's room. In his left hand he clutched Rangiku's pink scarf, the only proof he had of her disappearance.

Rangiku was very fond of this scarf, she had it years never once going anywhere without it. It had survived many battles and late night drinking sessions, always returning safely with its owner.

He neared Ukitake's room and could hear raised voices coming from within, it sounded like Ukitake was having some sort of disagreement with Unohana. Hitsugaya shuddered Ukitake was either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid, even the eleventh division knew better then to irritate Captain Unohana.

He paused before reaching out a hand to knock, he knew eavesdropping was wrong but he caught his and Rangiku's name being mentioned. He shook his head and dismissed the thought of listening in, time was not an ally and they needed to start searching for Rangiku as soon as possible. Plus it was most likely they knew of his presence already.

He knocked loudly and waited for the voices to quieten before opening the door and stepping through. Scanning the room Ukitake was panting slightly with a slight flush dusting his face, while Unohana seemed calm and collected, only the slight glare in her eyes hinted at their recent argument.

Hitsugaya was momentarily surprised to see Nanao Ise perched on the edge of Ukitake's bed looking somewhat relieved at his interruption. He could only imagine how uncomfortable she must feel being in the same room with two elite Captains arguing shamelessly.

"Toushiro" Ukitake greeted him with a serious expression on his face, Hitsugaya's eyes briefly looked away from his and fell on the items in his hands. Following his gaze Ukitake saw Rangiku's scarf clutched tightly in his left hand, and in his right hand was the broken mask bearing Ichimaru's message.

"Rangiku's been taken" he said getting straight to the point, he didn't have time to waste. He walked over to Ukitake and gave him the mask.

"Figured it out yet? I'm taking back what is mine." Ukitake read the message out aloud "Toushiro do you know..."

"Yes..." he cut Ukitake off "Its Ichimaru... and he has Rangiku..." Just saying the words out aloud caused a wave of anger to rise up from deep within him. He heard crackling and looked down to find a thin sheet of ice forming at his feet. He clamped down on his anger and reigned in his leaking reiatsu "But I expect you already knew that" he turned to face Nanao "Nanao, It was Ichimaru who caused your injuries, correct?"

"Yes Captain Hitsugaya" Nanao replied.

"We need to find Rangiku fast" he began pacing agitated "We just need to figure out where he could be holding her."

"Toushiro what if he's made his escape already? He may not even be in the Seireitei, if he's got what he came for I don't see him sticking around" Ukitake said also pacing.

Hitsugaya shook his head "I know what Ichimaru is like. He likes to see other people suffer, its more likely that he's sticking around waiting for the right moment."

"The right moment for what Toushiro?" Unohana asked quietly.

"Revenge" Hitsugaya stopped his pacing and faced the three of them "I think his original plan was to retrieve Rangiku...but now. I think he just wants revenge on both of us" he took in a deep breath "Knowing Ichimaru he probably wants to make a show of it too."

"It is a plausible motive, what do you suggest we do Toushiro? Sit and wait for Ichimaru to make his move or try and find his hiding place before that happens?" Ukitake asked.

Hitsugaya frowned "Both. We have no idea where Rangiku is and Ichimaru knows that, so we'll make it seem as if we are waiting for him to make the first move."

"While we discreetly search for Rangiku under Ichimaru's radar" Ukitake concluded.

"Exactly, and knowing Rangiku she wont be sitting idle either. I just wish we knew where to start" he walked over to the window glancing out at the darkening sky outside, he said that more to himself to reassure his anxious mind.

"Captain Hitsugaya, can I see Rangiku's scarf" Nanao asked holding her hand out.

Hitsugaya quirked an eyebrow at the request "Here" he handed it over.

Nanao ran the smooth silk between her fingers apparently searching for something, when she ran her hand near to the end of the scarf her fingers snagged on something, and she began picking at the fabric.

A few seconds later Nanao was holding up a tiny pin no bigger then her finger nail "I shouldn't worry about not knowing where to look for Rangiku."

Hitsugaya stared at her wide eyed "What are you saying?"

"See this pin" Nanao held it closer so Hitsugaya could see, it was shaped like a tiny daffodil "I gave it to Rangiku as a gift years ago when she was promoted to Lieutenant. She joked asking if I had put a kido tracker on it."

"And did you?" Hitsugaya could feel his spirits lifting slightly.

"It was for her own safety, back then she would drink until she passed out, making it hard to find her. It eased my mind knowing I would be able to find her."

"How does it work? And will it still work?" He felt intrigued now.

"The actual kido tracker is fixed to the stud that this pin clips into. I'm sure Rangiku has the stud hidden with her, and she probably discarded her scarf to give us a clue."

"That's a very inventive use of kido Nanao-san" Ukitake praised.

"How can we track her whereabouts?" Hitsugaya asked craving action, his need to find Rangiku had increased tenfold.

"You just need to summon a hell butterfly and tune it to track the kido on the stud, once it knows what to look for it will pick up the signal and flutter to it."

Ukitake turned towards Unohana "Retsu please, do you see now why I need you to discharge me. Toushiro needs all the help he can get."

"Juushiro we've been over this already, you could barely breath an hour ago" Unohana retorted. Hitsugaya wondered if this was why they were arguing earlier.

"Finding Rangiku is much more important then my health" Ukitake shot back.

If Hitsugaya had blinked just then, he was certain he would have missed the brief flash of hurt that crossed Unohana's features, it made him realise that perhaps there was more to their friendship then they let on.

He looked away from the two Captains and turned his attention to Nanao who suddenly seemed rather interested with Rangiku's daffodil pin.

A hell butterfly fluttered into the room chiming merrily announcing its presence, all four pairs of eyes watched its progress as it floated to the centre of the room.

"Red Alert! To all squad members of the Tenth Division. Emergency evacuation procedures are currently in effect. All squad ten members are ordered to evacuate the division. Repeat: All squad ten members are ordered to evacuate the division."

"What the hell?" He needed to get over to his division fast, but what about finding Rangiku? He looked at Ukitake who gave him a nod "Get going Toushiro, Nanao and myself will begin searching for Rangiku."

He nodded half sprinting and half flashing out of the room.

* * *

Leaving the fourth division Hitsugaya jumped up on the nearest roof to quicken the journey back to his division. It was late in the evening and darkness blanketed the Seireitei, turning to face the direction of the tenth he faltered in his running nearly causing him to fall off the roof.

The scene before him filled him with horror, far in the distance an orange smoky glow sat directly over his divisions grounds. The Tenth division was lit up like a bonfire against the night sky.

He was far away and for it to show up like that meant it must be an immense fire, even from this distance he could smell the smokiness in the night air.

He felt utter despair well up inside of him, it was his duty as a Captain to ensure the safety of his division members, just like it was his duty as a man to find Rangiku. But right now, the need of the many out weighed the need of the few, so he set off at a fast pace towards his division alternating between sprinting and flash step. He placed his trust in Ukitake and Nanao to find the whereabouts of Rangiku.

Ten minutes later he dropped out of his flash step and landed in front of the main gates of his division. Acrid smoke filled his nostrils first, then the intense heat engulfed him as smoke and ash billowed around him, causing him to choke as all the moisture in his mouth evaporated.

He raised an arm to shield his face and peered into the angry inferno, the heat rolled off the ignited structures forcing him back several metres. The worry he felt for the welfare of his members ran deep inside him.

When he'd backed away enough he hacked with the effort to expel the smoke from his lungs, a shout of "Captain Hitsugaya!" reached his ears over the deafening roar of the blazing fire. He spun on his heel and saw with relief the majority of his division all gathered together, a safe distance away.

One flash step placed him in front of his assembled division, who greeted him enthusiastically, the worried expressions on their faces easing somewhat. He crouched down coughing and spluttering, drawing in deep breaths of clean air. He stood back up and raised his voice to gain his squad members attention "Did everybody get out? Is everybody accounted for?" he yelled despite his raw throat.

His third seat Hosokawa stepped forward "Captain, everyone is present and accounted for apart from two members."

Hitsugaya's stomach knotted painfully, if they were trapped inside of that blaze their chances of survival were zero "Who?" he demanded.

"Yourself and Lieutenant Matsumoto, Sir!" he replied.

"I see" he turned back to observe the carnage before his eyes, not a single building had escaped the blazing inferno. He knew it was highly likely Ichimaru was responsible for this attack on his division, which meant he was probably using this as a diversion to draw everyone's attention away from his real goal.

He clenched his teeth tightly together, that bastard had no morals. He didn't care about all the innocent people getting hurt just because they got in his way while he carried out his revenge.

He could understand why Ichimaru would want revenge on him, what he didn't understand was why he wanted to hurt Rangiku too. As for everyone else; Ukitake, Kyouraku, Ise and now his division members, that was just plain callousness on Ichimaru's part.

"Captain..?" His third seat interrupted his silent ranting, he turned to face the man, inviting him to continue "Do you know where Lieutenant Matsumoto is?" he asked trying to keep his eyes away from the roaring bonfire.

Hitsugaya suddenly realised why Hosokawa was asking that. Although he knew it was unlikely Rangiku would be amongst all those flames...(he shuddered at the thought)... he could see why the man was worried.

"I don't know where she is at present. But rest assured I know she isn't anywhere inside our division" he replied calmly and was satisfied when he saw the worry ease out of his third seats face.

The roof of the main sleeping barracks began cracking and creaking under the strain of the raging fire, all eyes were watching when mere moments later, the roof buckled and collapsed with a shower of sparks and an explosion of sound. He knew there was hardly anything he could do to preserve the buildings of his division, so his main focus was protecting his squad members and seeing to their safety.

He turned to face his division members gathered behind him "Now listen up" he ordered in his Captains voice, silence immediately fell upon the gathered crowd.

"Seated Officers ten through to twenty, I want you to gather up anyone who is injured and see that they are taken to the fourth."

"Yes Sir!" His offices chorused before splitting up and moving amongst the crowd and finding the injured. About a third of his men stood huddle together several minutes later, all of them had various cuts, bruises and burns. Once they'd all gone on their way to the Fourth he began organizing everyone else.

Next he sent his ninth seat off to the Seventh division, and his eighth seat off to the Ninth division to notify each division that he would be sending his squad members over to them.

Then he ordered his men to split into two groups, he sent his sixth and seventh seat with group one over to the Ninth Division, while his fourth and fifth seat was sent over to the Seventh Division with group two.

Now it was just him and his third seat remaining "Captain, how can I help sir?"

"I want you to go to the First Division and report everything that happened to the Head-Captain" he replied, while summoning a hell butterfly and sending it off to Ukitake "Also...while you are there, inform the Head-Captain that Lieutenant Matsumoto has been kidnapped and her whereabouts are currently unknown, and that I have evidence the perpetrator is Gin Ichimaru."

"Yes Sir... and what are you going to do?"

In answer Hitsugaya began walking forwards towards the glowing inferno, "Clear the area Hosokawa."

His third seat just nodded and with a little bow he disappeared in a flash of shunpo to carry out his orders which left Hitsugaya on his own.

Hitsugaya pulled Hyourimaru over his head and placed him down on the ground. Next he pulled his Captains haori off and folded it neatly and placed it to one side, before stripping the top of his uniform off down to his waist and discarding it to one side.

He picked up Hyourimaru again and removed it from its sheath and started walking closer to the fire 'Ready for this Hyourimaru?' He heard the ice dragon roaring with approval in the back of his mind 'Lets do this Master.'

* * *

Ukitake pulled on his Captains haori and placed his Zanpakuto securely in his obi, with one last glance he swept out of his infirmary room and headed in the direction of Nanao's presence.

When he caught up with Nanao he found her standing in the doorway of Shunsui's room. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder to alert her to his presence so as not to startle her "Nanao-san."

Nanao jumped and spun to face him "Captain Ukitake!"

"Forgive me, I was trying to avoid startling you" he replied with a gentle smile.

He peered over her shoulder into the room and saw the shadowy outline of his best friend, strapped down securely on the only bed. The room was in darkness but there was no mistaking Shunsui's hulking bear like figure. He appeared to be sleeping but every now and then the air was punctuated with a quiet mumbling of 'Nanao-chan.'

Ukitake glanced at Nanao and noticed her eyes shining with unshed tears "Try not to worry Nanao-san, I expect once the substance fully leaves his system he should be back to his usual self again."

Nanao looked up to him and nodded "Do you think he knows we are here?"

"Juu...Nanao-chan..." Shunsui mumbled quietly.

They both looked into the room and Ukitake gave Nanao's shoulder a little squeeze "I'm sure on some subconscious level he knows. Now come along Nanao we need to depart and be on our way."

"Has Captain Unohana finally given us her permission?" Nanao asked breaking her gaze away from Shunsui.

"Not exactly, but Retsu is an understanding woman. She knows how important this is" Ukitake replied while guiding her away from Shunsui's room and down the corridor. He would apologise to Retsu later for sneaking out, but either way he wanted to be on his way before she noticed he was gone.

Once they were outside and a good distance away from the Fourth, Ukitake paused his steady walking and turned to face Nanao. He was about to ask her about tracking Rangiku when a hell butterfly fluttered down towards him and landed on his hand.

The butterfly relayed its message and fluttered away again "Nanao-san we need to hurry, that was from Toushiro. It seems Ichimaru has targeted his division and Toushiro believes he may be using it as a cover."

"I'm on it Captain Ukitake" Nanao replied, she turned away from him and summoned another butterfly while at the same time she gathered a small ball of kido in her hands. The ball of kido swirled in a rainbow of colours before settling on a light purple colour. Nanao then brought her hands together and the kido ball engulfed the fluttering butterfly in her other palm "This will take a few minutes while the butterfly picks up the signal from the tracker."

Ukitake watched in interest as the butterfly floated off Nanao's palm and hovered in the air, the black creature was highlighted against the night sky by a soft purple glow surrounding it. In a blink of the eye it shot away from them and after it flew a few metres away it stopped again, waiting for them to follow.

"Its picked up the signal" Nanao stated, walking after the butterfly at a brisk pace.

"Good job Nanao-san" Ukitake followed her and when they had both caught up with the butterfly it shot away once again.

* * *

"What do you make of it?" Rangiku asked standing back from the bars while Momo looked over the supposedly strong kido intertwined in the bars.

"Rangiku-san, I believe these bars are just an illusion" Momo said running her hand up and down the bars, her hand was hovering barely an inch away.

"An illusion...how?" Rangiku knitted her eyebrows together.

"The actual kido we can feel is just a simple barrier with an illusion built into it, to make it appear impassable. Hence the so called thick metal bars" Momo moved away and looked at Rangiku "When I tried to touch the bars before you came, it was actually the barrier that zapped me" she held her badly burned hand up to show Rangiku.

"So... Can we actually break through this barrier? If its just simple kido keeping us here it should be fairly simple...right?" Rangiku was feeling impatient, goodness knows what Gin was planning.

"Yes Rangiku-san... Just give me a few minutes" Momo held both of her hands up in front of the barrier, spreading her fingers wide. Rangiku watched as the bars seemed to flicker under her touch, suddenly cracks began to form beneath her fingers spreading outwards.

A loud screeching noise had Rangiku throwing her hands over her ears, she watched as Momo pushed against the barrier and with a final shove it exploded outwards with a shattering crash. The screeching noise stopped but for several minutes afterwards Rangiku's ears still rang from the noise.

Momo dropped to her knees cradling both her hands close to her chest, Rangiku walked over to her "Are you OK Momo?"

"I burnt my hands" Momo held both of them out to show Rangiku, and sure enough both of her hands were red raw and steaming slightly.

"Come on Momo lets get out of here" Rangiku stepped out of the make shift cell and into the larger room. Curiosity got the better of her and she went over to the collection of computer screens. There was ten screens altogether and each one was showing images from around the Seireitei, it made her feel sick to her stomach when she realised Gin had been spying on them all this time...how long had he been skulking around down here?

She stepped away from the screens and when she turned, she saw Momo was still crouching down on the floor of the cell "Momo... are you coming?"

"You go on ahead Rangiku-san, I don't think it will make any difference to anyone whether I go or stay.." Momo let out a long shaky breath "Its like what Ichimaru said...Nobody even noticed that I was gone.." her lip trembled and the tears began pouring down her face.

Rangiku let out an exasperated growl before marching over to Momo "We don't have time for this!" she bent down and grabbed Momo around her waist before hoisting her up to her feet, and dragging her towards the door Gin had used earlier.

"Don't fall so easily for Gin's lies. It just so happens that a lot of things happened in a very short space of time and Toushiro has been somewhat occupied dealing with everything" Rangiku released Momo when she reached the door.

Rangiku reached a hand out to try the handle she wasn't surprised to find it locked, but she wasn't going to let something stupid like a locked door stop her from getting to Toushiro either. She took a deep breath and braced herself before using all her might with a well aimed kick to the door. The door went crashing open with a satisfying bang.

"Rangiku..." Momo began slightly stunned at her sudden display of brute strength.

Rangiku grabbed her wrist gently and dragged her out the door "No time, lets go!"

* * *

As Ukitake and Nanao proceeded through the Seireitei, it became somewhat difficult to keep tabs on where the butterfly was leading them. Many Shinigami populated the usually quiet streets tonight, each of them watching in awe as Toushiro wielded his mighty snow-ice Zanpakuto, tackling the out of control fire that had consumed the entire grounds of his division.

The surrounding air was thick with an odd mixture of Toushiro's heavy spiritual pressure, smoke, ashes, steam and the odd snowflake or two. Several times Ukitake needed to stop to have a good cough and clear out his lungs.

They was currently standing outside the central library waiting for the butterfly to carry on leading the way, however it seemed somewhat reluctant to move any further.

"Nanao-san why has it just stopped?" Ukitake extended a slender finger giving the tiny butterfly a little prod.

"Two reason Captain Ukitake" she reached a hand out and cupped it in her palm "First its either lost the signal meaning the stud holding the kido has been destroyed."

"Or?" Ukitake prompted.

"The person carrying the stud is on the move, so therefore it needs a minute to adjust to finding the new location" Nanao replied with her usual cool composure.

The butterfly suddenly whizzed away from them leading them straight into the library, Ukitake shared a quick glance with Nanao before they both quickly set off after it "Surely Rangiku isn't being held in such a public place" Ukitake stated when they entered the main entrance.

"With all due respect Sir, Captain Hitsugaya said the same thing about the investigation. This place is vast and there is more then one place to hide a secret or two" Nanao said before marching after the butterfly which had took off while they were preoccupied.

"Lucky for me I'm being accompanied by a bookworm who knows every inch of this library" Ukitake followed her, his long strides caught up with her with hardly any effort.

They carried on walking through the library for some time, it seemed like the butterfly was taking them deep inside the abandoned parts. Ukitake felt confused when it stopped abruptly in the middle of an old study area.

"I believe..." Nanao began rotating on the spot tapping the floor in places with her heel "We go down from here."

"Down?" Ukitake wondered if that was even possible.

"Yes into the basement. It makes perfect sense, nobody ever goes down there and the place is just full of junk" Nanao's heel kept up its tapping until she heard a noticeable hollow sound "Right here Captain Ukitake, its a concealed entrance."

Nanao knelt down and felt around the floorboards looking for the mechanism that would slide the floor panel open. Her fingers brushed up against a tiny notch and when she pressed it in, the panel slid back to reveal a flight of stone steps.

"Down it is" Ukitake smiled impressed with Nanao's knowledge.

* * *

Satisfied that he'd managed to douse the raging fire as best he could Hitsugaya resealed Hyourimaru and sank to his knees taking in the sight before him. Only the ashy remains of his division drifted in the air and a few blackened beams jutting out in places hinting at where a building use to stand.

Everything was gone, the administration buildings that housed his and Rangiku's office along with his seated members office area. The mess hall, training rooms, his private quarters, Rangiku's quarters, the main sleeping barracks. Everything had been reduced to grey and white cinders. Everything was gone. Smoked still curled from a few hot spots but other then that, the area was empty, barren and dead.

He turned his attention to his own body, the heat had been so intense the hairs on his arms had been singed off within seconds. He stretched his arms and he found his back, shoulders and chest felt tight and sore just as if he'd gotten sunburnt.

He looked down at his sword and he caught sight of his own reflection and saw that his hair was black and his face was covered with a good coating of soot.

He heard several swishing noises behind him and recognized the sound as someone dropping out of shunpo. He turned his head to look over his shoulder to see who had arrived and found that Captains Komamura and Soifon had arrived with their Lieutenants, and also Lieutenant Hisagi from the Ninth.

He got to his feet and walked over to them, stopping to retrieve the rest of his uniform and Hyourimaru's sheath. His skin felt too sore and badly burnt so he made no attempt to re-dress himself properly.

Komamura was the first to speak up "We came to offer some assistance Hitsugaya, but I see there isn't much that can be done now."

"Don't worry about it" Hitsugaya looked back at his ruined division "At least all my men got out safely. Komamura, Hisagi I'm sorry to cause you any inconvenience by sending my men over to you."

"Its fine Hitsugaya, your men are more then welcome at my division" Komamura answered, and Hisagi nodded in agreement.

"Normally I would have sent them over to Ukitake and Kyouraku, but they are both being treated in the fourth."

"Captain Hitsugaya, can you fill me in on what happened to those two?" Soifon barked in her usual manner.

"Ukitake's medication and Kyouraku's sake had been spiked. While lieutenant Ise was attacked in the library, and my lieutenant has been kidnapped" he replied bluntly.

"Wow it must suck having your division burnt down on top of all that" Omaeda said digging into his ear with his pinky.

Soifon narrowed her eyes at him before jumping into the air and kicking him in the face with both feet "Silence Idiot!"

"Do you know who is responsible for all of this..."

The rest of Komamura's question went unheard, as a heavy spiritual pressure engulfed the Seireitei. Hitsugaya gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes, the anger he felt from before burned through his entire being. That spiritual pressure belonged to one man, and that man was at the top of his hate list. The source of the pressure seemed to be coming from the top of the Sokyoku hill.

"Ichimaru..." Hitsugaya growled out, his eyes and body starting to glow with an icy rage. He dropped the bundle of uniform he was holding and gripped Hyourimaru tighter. He turned on the spot and looked up at the vast cliff face, right at the top he saw a figure standing on the edge looking down at him. At this distance he couldn't make out Ichimaru's expression but he knew the man was grinning at him.

"So he's finally decided to come out into the open" His grip on Hyourimaru tightened as he allowed the murderous rage inside of him to well up.

He shot off towards the Sokyoku hill so fast he left the two Captains and three Lieutenants coughing in a cloud of ashy dust.


	29. Chapter 29

Someone To Lean On Chapter 29

Landing atop the Sokyoku hill Hitsugaya shuddered at the sudden chill in the air, the wind was whipping across the hill and over his exposed upper body. A thick mist had rolled in along with thick storm clouds, rumbling away high up in the night sky. Apart from the faint whistling of the wind and the occasional clap of thunder, all was quiet and still. Too quiet.

His hands gripped Hyourimaru tightly, it was impossible to see very far with all the mist swirling around him. He strained his eyes searching for any signs of movement, a sneak attack could come from anywhere at any time.

He stood as still as a statue breathing in and out, calming himself down which helped him to slip into a relaxed but alert state of awareness.

He closed his eyes and concentrated on listening, patiently awaiting any tiny noise whether it be the rustling of robes, the scrape of a foot step or even the sound of breathing.

He heard foot steps a little way off to the right, he snapped his eyes open and spun in that direction. In the thick mist he could make out the faint outline of a body.

"Show Yourself!" he demanded of the shadowy outline.

"Captain!" He heard Rangiku's voice calling him, it sounded faraway and distant and came from over his shoulder.

"RANGIKU!" He called out spinning in the direction of her voice, was it possible she was up here?

"Shiro-chan?" Questioned another voice faintly.

"Momo?" Why was she up here?

"Toushiro..." came Ukitake's voice from his left.

"Hey kiddo!" Hitsugaya whipped around when Kyouraku's deep voice spoke up from behind him. It was so close he could have been standing right next to him, but as he spun around he saw nothing but mist.

What the hell was going on here? Growing frustrated he gathered his spiritual pressure. It began swirling around him in a whirlwind before he released it in one quick blast. It extended out like a sonic boom blowing the thick mist away with it.

The rest of the Sokyoku hill came into focus once the air cleared and looking around he saw nothing.

Hitsugaya clenched his jaw tightly, he couldn't feel Ichimaru's spiritual pressure at all. When he was halfway to reaching the top of the hill it had disappeared. Was he playing games with him? It was highly likely, Ichimaru always did enjoy toying with him, even before the whole Aizen betrayal.

Growing impatient he sent out another blast of his pressure to clear the mist away that had rolled in around him again. A loud crack of thunder rumbled over head shaking the very ground he was stood on. He felt the heavy drops of rain beginning to fall, pelting him on his shoulders and rolling down his torso.

The whole sky lit up brightly as lightening streaked across it, briefly illuminating the whole of the hill. It was only a brief flicker but in that short moment he caught sight of a lone figure lurking some way off.

Steadily he started walking over to the figure not taking his eyes off it for a moment, but at the same time he remained alert to everything else happening around him. The mist had began swirling in once again and the figure was quickly obscured, only a shadowy outline indicated where it was.

As he drew closer he heard the distinct sound of a sword being pulled from its sheath, he froze while tightening his grip on Hyourimaru. The timely flash of lightening glinted off a steel blade that gave him a split seconds warning. He raised Hyourimaru and sparks flew as he blocked the advance of shinsou's extended blade. The blade retracted and he slipped into a defensive stance.

The mist thinned out fully revealing the figure standing before him.

He looked up into the pale face of Ichimaru, who was staring at him grinning viciously.

* * *

Matsumoto hurried down the dark corridor not really knowing where she was, or where the exit could be. All she knew was that she had to get out of here fast, she was practically sprinting down the unfamiliar corridors still dragging Momo along with her.

"Rangiku-san slow down!" Momo called from behind.

"We need to get out of here Momo...Toushiro needs me!" Rangiku replied, her eyes frantically searching through the gloom for the way out.

"I know that, but we're not going to get very far running in circles" Momo tried digging her heels into the ground to slow them down.

Rangiku stopped dead and Momo crashed into her, she turned around and found Momo sprawled on the floor "Are we really going in circles?" she asked helping Momo back to her feet, mindful of her injured hands and arms.

Momo sighed "See that door there?" she pointed behind her "Its the door you kicked open."

Rangiku looked to where Momo was pointing and felt like she had been slapped in the face...They had been going in circles "Damn it!" she screamed frustrated. She felt overwhelmed by hopelessness and tears began to form in her eyes. She leant her back against the wall and allowed herself to slide down it.

"It will be OK Rangiku-san, we just need to slow down a bit and observe our surroundings" shocked at Matsumoto's sudden mood swing, Momo came and sat down next to her.

"It doesn't help that its so damn dark down here" Matsumoto sighed frustrated.

Momo lifted one of her burnt hands up and attempted to gather a ball of kido, as the spell built up it started casting a faint glow which highlighted the surrounding walls. The spell was half way complete when Momo yelped in pain and the ball flickered and died, plunging them back into darkness.

"I'm sorry Rangiku...my hands, they are too sore..do you think you could do it?" she gently massaged her throbbing hand.

Matsumoto got to her feet and held her palm out, she gathered reiatsu and began forming an orb of light. Unohana had warned her to be careful when using her kido and zanpakuto skills because during her pregnancy her own reiatsu could fluctuate and become unstable.

When she was satisfied with the new level of light she looked to Momo and they set off at a steady pace, taking in their surroundings.

"Where do you suppose we are?" Rangiku asked looking at the thick stone walls "I don't think I've ever seen walls like this anywhere in the Seireitei before."

"I think we may be underground...pretty deep underground" Momo guessed.

Rangiku ran a hand over the wall and it came back thick with cobwebs, she wiped her hand to rid it of the dust "Well wherever this place is, its been abandoned for years by the looks of it."

"Rangiku-san! Look at the floor...see that?" Momo tapped urgently on her arm.

Matsumoto looked to where she was pointing, although the place was covered with thick dust and cobwebs, on the floor was a notable path where someone had repeatedly walked over it which showed the wood up clearly against the grey dust.

"All we need to do is follow that trail right?" Momo asked with hope shining in her eyes.

Rangiku smiled at her "Well spotted Momo. Come on lets go, we need to find Toushiro."

They continued to follow the dust track for some time, it felt like the corridor just went on and on and on, occasionally they would round a corner which made Rangiku suspect it was one big square.

They rounded the third corner and saw at the end of this section what appeared to be a stone staircase "Momo! That's got to be the way out..right?"

Momo's face lit up and broke out into a smile "I do believe so Rangiku-san."

Rangiku threw her arms around Momo and pulled her into a hug, which Momo returned in kind "Come on lets go."

They was halfway towards the stairs when they saw a flutter of purple light descending the stairs. The fluttering reminded Rangiku of a butterfly and she froze grabbing Momo to stop her going any further "Wait! Do you see that?"

"What do you suppose it is?" Momo asked squinting.

Matsumoto's mind went into overdrive, she'd never seen a butterfly glow like that before. What if it was one of the stolen Special Ops Butterflies? If it was, had Gin placed it there to keep watch and alert him if they tried to escape? They heard two sets of foot steps begin to descend the stairs, echoing loudly off the stone walls. A few seconds later two long shadows began to ghost across the steps, the light from above elongating them to a grotesque length.

Rangiku killed her kido light, plummeting them into darkness once again, she gripped Momo's upper arm and hissed in her ear "Run!"

They both spun on their heels and ran back into the heavy darkness, retracing their steps back down the long corridor. When they flew around the first corner, Rangiku stopped and threw herself flat against the wall. She edged herself towards the corner and peeked around it. In the distance she saw two dark figures at the end of the corridor. In the gloom it was difficult to make out who they may be, but it was obvious they were Shinigami as two separate balls of light suddenly flared up. One was purple and the other was a brilliant white that had a pearly sheen to it, definitely kido.

"Do you think they sensed us Momo?" Rangiku asked in a whisper.

"No...but then again I cant sense them either. I suspect this whole place is shielded" Momo replied peeking around the corner too.

Rangiku's eyes widened when the purple butterfly started zooming down the corridor heading right towards them "Crap!"

Momo threw an arm out in the darkness grabbing onto Rangiku's arm tightly, they once again ran further into the darkness. This time they kept going to put as much distance between them and whoever else was skulking around down here, they needed to find somewhere to hide and fast!

* * *

Hitsugaya was clenching his teeth so tightly he was surprised they hadn't shattered by now. He was recalling in his mind the last time he faced Ichimaru and couldn't grasp just how he had managed to escape death.

He remembered those final minutes of their fight, he was bleeding heavily and on the verge of collapsing. Ichimaru was in the same boat, they both shared a glare before charging at each other. Hitsugaya felt Shinsou sinking into his side, while Hyourimaru impaled himself deeply in Ichimaru's chest. Ichimaru definitely died that day.

"Ya look like ya seen a ghost Shiro-chan" Ichimaru drawled "Its almost like ya ain't happy to see me."

"Where's Rangiku!" he demanded.

"I don't know" he replied sarcasm dripping off every word "Did ya check your division?"

"You bastard where is she?" he growled.

"Ya so tense, ain't ya even curious why I'm still alive. I gotta say I'm a little disappointed Shiro-chan" he replied faking hurt.

Hitsugaya's scowl deepened "What do you want Ichimaru?"

"So hostile, all I wanna do is catch up with my little buddy" Gin narrowed his eyes, yet still maintained his usual grin.

"I am NOT your little buddy" Hitsugaya raised his sword and pointed it at Ichimaru "Now start talking. How is it your still alive?"

Ichimaru's grin widened "What if I told ya I was never at the winter war Shiro-chan."

"I fought you. I know what I saw" he answered flatly.

"Then ya saw wrong little Captain, ya never fought me personally..."

Hitsugaya's eyes went wide, the realisation suddenly dawning on him. Ichimaru had tried to keep him occupied with that fake Rangiku. It would have been a perfect imitation if a couple things hadn't been a bit off. Had Ichimaru done the same thing back then? Used a clone instead to fight for him? It was a plausible explanation, but the clone of Rangiku was one of Kurotsuchi's experiments, from what Ukitake had told him they couldn't cut it in a fight against a Captain for very long. His fight with Ichimaru in the war had been long, bloody and very real.

He shook his head, Ichimaru was probably messing with him again, trying to make him doubt himself. But yet, here the man stood before him.

"Ya don't believe me do ya Shiro-chan?" Gin smiled at the puzzled look on Hitsugaya's face "Or...maybe ya do believe me, but cant figure it all out" Gin took two steps closer to Hitsugaya "I can tell ya."

Noticing Ichimaru moving closer Hitsugaya's hand immediately brought Hyourimaru back up to guard. "Stay where you are!" he yelled, he could have kicked himself. He had allowed himself to become distracted and lowered his guard during their discussion without realising.

"Or... I could show ya" Ichimaru's eyes opened a tiny little slither, while his grin became even wider. The hairs on the back of Hitsugaya's neck stood on end, Ichimaru had a cruel sadistic look on his face. A look he had seen only twice before and those two times were always before a fight. Always when he was about to strike.

Ichimaru raised his sword and pointed it at Hitsugaya "Go ahead Captain Chibi, ya can ask me anything ya want and I will answer ya by either showing or telling ya" Ichimaru glared at him "Whatcha say?"

Like he had any choice, the only way to get all the answers was from Ichimaru. Yet the man wouldn't give any information up so easily, of course he would turn it all into some sick little game.

"You used a clone to cover for you in that fight didn't you?" Hitsugaya's eyebrows knitted tightly together as his scowl deepened "Tell me how!" he demanded.

"No no no... that's not how this works. Ya can ask me anything ya want, but I get to choose how I answer" Ichimaru grinned wickedly at him "An seeing as ya decided to ask me two questions I take that as your acceptance of the terms I layed out for ya."

"I only asked one question" Hitsugaya snarled back.

"But ya wanna know two things" Ichimaru replied sarcastically.

"Just get on with it!" he yelled back, he was quickly losing his patience.

"Very well. Firstly ya asked if I used a clone, well I can TELL ya I did use a clone" Ichimaru waited while it sunk in "As for how... I will SHOW ya" Ichimaru pointed his sword at Hitsugaya.

He was immediately on guard, whatever Ichimaru was planning couldn't be good for him.

"Shoot ta kill..Shinsou!"

Hitsugaya gritted his teeth and waited poised and ready to deflect the blade that would come shooting towards him any second. He felt a moments confusion when nothing happened however that confusion was quickly wiped away when a searing white hot pain exploded in his left shoulder. He cried out in pain and dropped his eyes to see the source of his pain.

The end of a katana was poking out of his shoulder, he'd been pierced from behind. The blood streamed from the wound and ran down his arm, dripping off the ends of his fingers. The blade was yanked out and he fell to his knees, glancing over his shoulder he saw another figure. This one was clad in the black uniform of the stealth force and was wielding an identical sword to Ichimaru who still stood before him.

The black clad figure reached a hand up and pulled at the face covering. When it fell away Hitsugaya felt a sinking sensation in his stomach. Another Gin Ichimaru stood behind him, perfectly identical to the one who stood before him.

"Any more questions Shiro-chan?" both Ichimaru's asked in unison "Because ya ain't getting any more answers till ya figure out which of us is the real deal, an which is a fake."

Both Ichimaru's began to circle him, it was impossible to tell who could be the fake. He couldn't detect any spiritual pressure from either of them.

"Little piece of advise Captain Chibi" both of them said simultaneously "Ya wont be able to figure it out by the usual means. The only way to be certain... is to fight."

Both of the Ichimaru's moved then, both of them charging forwards with their identical swords slashing through the air towards him. He jumped to his feet and at the last second changed his mind. He dropped back down to his knees and then thrust Hyourimaru up between the two approaching blades of Shinsou. Both swords clanged to a dead stop blocked by Hyourimaru. He pushed himself back onto his feet, while ramming an elbow into the ribs of the Ichimaru on his right. Then he twirled to face the other Ichimaru and kicked him hard in the stomach.

He jumped back while the two were stumbling around to gain a little distance and quickly come up with a strategy. Fighting one Ichimaru was bad enough, but two seemed damn near impossible. Ichimaru was fighting dirty, so there was no other solution he would have to fight dirty too.

* * *

"This is so frustrating!" Nanao declared after passing by the stone staircase for the umpteenth time. So far the hell butterfly had been leading them around in circles apparently lost "I just don't understand it."

"I will admit it is kind of … odd" Ukitake threw up a hand to cover his mouth, the air down here was stale and dusty "Maybe its having trouble getting an exact fix."

"If it couldn't get an exact fix, it would remain stationary. I'm certain it has a lock on something, I just don't know why it would lead us in circles like this" Nanao adjusted her glasses clearly annoyed.

Ukitake reached his hand out and stopped Nanao from walking any further "How about this" he paused to clear his throat "We just let the butterfly go."

"Captain Ukitake we cant do that!" Nanao interrupted.

"You misunderstand me Nanao" Ukitake smiled kindly "I don't mean we give up on following it. What I mean is we let the butterfly carry on in its direction, and we go back in the opposite direction."

"This corridor is one big rectangular circuit and we've been going around in circles" Nanao replied thoughtfully "It stands to reason that if the butterfly is pursuing Rangiku, provided she has managed to escape. Then she is probably lost and wondering aimlessly. But its a rectangle, surely she must know that."

"Unless she is running around in a blind panic" Ukitake tugged on Nanao's arm and they began walking back the opposite way "If that's the case, we'll run into her if we go this way."

* * *

Hitsugaya heard the swoosh of a sword.

Instinctively he ducked, the sword barely missing his shoulder. Hitsugaya spun round and brought Hyourimaru up to protect himself against any follow-up attack. The Ichimaru on his right had been the culprit and was now bringing his sword back down on to his head. He countered, blocking the strike and swinging Hyourimaru across Ichimaru's gut. The blow winded the Ichimaru bending him double. Hitsugaya kicked him hard in the side and he fell to the ground.

No sooner had he floored the first Ichimaru, the second came rushing forward thrusting his Shinsou at Toushiro's stomach. Leaping to the side he parried and slipped to this Ichimaru's off-guard side, he brought his own weapon round in a low arc. Ichimaru jumped to avoid it, but Toushiro raised the blade at the last second and caught Ichimaru's ankle. Ichimaru was swept off his feet and landed in a crumpled heap upon the floor.

He flashed stepped a few paces away. He knew the real Ichimaru wouldn't risk using his Shinsou's full abilities, while both him and his clone were still standing. It would easily reveal who the fake was and the real Ichimaru would lose his advantage.

When Ichimaru had first used Shinsou, the area had been thick with mist, it was only after he had retracted the blade did the mist lift. He could have easily switched places with the fake before the air cleared. Leaving the real Ichimaru to sneak up on him while the fake kept him talking.

He could have easily kept his eye on the real Ichimaru, but during the first few minutes of their scuffle and after much moving around dodging and blocking, he couldn't be sure now who was who.

A faint rustle alerted Hitsugaya to an incoming attack. Both Ichimaru's were bearing down on him. They struck simultaneously, one sword at his head, the other at his stomach.

With no time to think, Toushiro dived beneath the two blades, rolling between his enemies. As he passed through, he struck the knee of the Ichimaru to his left, hobbling him. Flipping back to his feet, Toushiro followed through with a back kick that caught the other Ichimaru in the kidneys, dropping him like a stone.

Hitsugaya backed up again observing the two Ichimaru's, the one he'd kicked in the kidneys was lying face down, it was hard to tell if he was unconscious. While the one he'd managed to hobble was shooting a death glare at him through the rain that had turned torrential during the two on one fight.

The Ichimaru that was lying face down groaned and began to stir. He pushed himself up with his arms and looked up at Hitsugaya.

Hitsugaya's eyes widened in shock, apparently this Ichimaru's face must have smashed against the hard ground when he dropped like a stone. For it wasn't Ichimaru's face staring back at him now, it was a white bone mask with cracks fracturing the clones forehead.

Hitsugaya raised a hand palm facing the clone "Bakudou Sixty One... Rukujyoukourou.." As the kido spell fired from his hand the white light split into six luminous bars of light which streaked through the air like arrows, trapping the fake Ichimaru in a prison of light.

The real Ichimaru stumbled to his feet pointing his sword at him. He saw this and instantly called upon his own Shikai. Before Ichimaru could do anything he sent an icy dragon towards the bound clone, Hyourimaru came crashing down and encased it in its own prison of ice.

The soaring ice dragon return to Hitsugaya circling him overhead, its blue icy coils glinting with each flash of lightening scorching across the sky.

Hitsugaya turned his attention back to Ichimaru who was now back on his feet and grinning dangerously at him "Now cut the crap Ichimaru, I want to know everything. Why you felt the need to fake your own death in the war and why are you back here now?"

"I faked my own death because Aizen ordered me too. It was a contingency plan so to speak. He was confident his plans would succeed.."

Hitsugaya scoffed at that "Cant have been that confident if he had to make a contingency plan. Where did you get the clone from?"

Gin looked over to the ice block his clone was imprisoned in "Before we left for Huecho Mundo I procured a dummy hollow from the twelfth division. Once we'd established ourselves amongst the inhabitants there, Aizen had Szayel Aporro work on it and develop it into an exact replica of yours truly."

"Why?" Hitsugaya shot back, he failed to see what all this had to do with Rangiku.

"In the unlikely event that we failed, Aizen knew he would probably be imprisoned here, so it was my job to eventually break him out. Then he would take his revenge on the Soul Society."

"If I killed your clone in the winter war, then how did you come by that one?" he asked pointing at the block of ice.

"I asked Szayel Aporro to make a spare, because ya never know."

"What does Rangiku have to do with all of this? Why attack me that night? Why poison Ukitake and Kyouraku? Was that part of Aizen's plan?" Hitsugaya replied hotly, his flaring temper caused his reiatsu to leak out turning the rain into sleet.

"I couldn't give a damn about Aizen and his plans. I follow my own path now, I have my own plans."

"If you think for one minute Rangiku will go with you willingly..." Hitsugaya began but was cut off by Ichimaru.

"I don't care about that whore any more..." the ever present smile on Ichimaru's face had vanished, leaving nothing but a blank mask "The only plans I have that include Rangiku now, are ones that cause her unbearable pain and suffering."

"What's Rangiku ever done to you!" Hitsugaya shouted back, livid that Ichimaru dared to call Rangiku a whore, let alone threatening to cause her harm.

"What has she ever done to me ya ask?" Ichimaru began to circle him in the pouring rain, glaring at him maliciously "Apart from claiming to love me, then as soon as I'm gone jumps into another man's bed."

"You were supposed to be dead!" Hitsugaya's body began to glow as his spiritual pressure began to rise right along with his temper "You can hardly blame her for moving on."

Like a bolt of lightening, a flash of steel cut through the air. Hitsugaya instinctively deflected it, then swung his own sword in a blistering attack for Ichimaru's neck.

Ducking, Ichimaru thrust at Hitsugaya's stomach. Toushiro leapt aside, the swords razor sharp edge almost scything through his obi. He retaliated with a diagonal cut across the chest at the same time as Ichimaru sliced for his body. Their blades clashed and they stared at each other between the cross of steel.

"Tell me" Hitsugaya growled out between clenched teeth "If your not here to carry out Aizen's plan and you certainly don't care about Rangiku... then why come back?"

"I came back for Rangiku" Ichimaru pushed hard against Hitsugaya's sword, shoving him backwards "I had everything fully planned out."

It was so tempting for him to rush forward and ripped Ichimaru's head off, he was amazed with himself for being so patient so far. Hyourimaru was growing impatient in the back of his mind, roaring at him to eliminate the threat that was Ichimaru. Soon he told himself, just as soon as he knew whether Rangiku was safe. If he killed Ichimaru too soon and Ukitake failed to find Rangiku, then Ichimaru would be the only person who would know where to find her. It would be tragic if the knowledge died with him. He just had to keep Ichimaru talking a little bit longer.

"I knew about the existence of the dummy arrancar's from when I stole the hollow. All I had to do was sneak into the twelfth and dig them out, wasn't too hard" Ichimaru was grinning again.

"Although Kurotsuchi dismissed them as failed attempts from what they were originally intended for, I found their stealth capabilities rather handy."

"Why was you using one to stalk me while I was out patrolling?" he asked shivering slightly, the rain was relentless and each gust of wind raised goosebumps over his exposed skin.

"I set that dummy up to follow whichever Captain happened to be doing the patrol that night. All I was doing was testing its stealth abilities, I wanted to see if it could sneak into the Seireitei and avoid being detected by a Captain class Shinigami. Ya see when the time came that I was ready to take Rangiku away with me, I knew I'd need to use one to keep tabs on ya whereabouts. I was off doing other things that night, so I placed a camera on it so I could watch it back later."

Interesting Hitsugaya thought, so he never was singled out and targeted that night. It was his own presumptions that had gotten him in such a beaten up state. He vaguely wondered what any of the other Captain's would have done in his place. "What about my office then?"

"I wanted to see how easily it could infiltrate buildings. Your office being blown up was just an unfortunate accident."

Hitsugaya blinked, so was Ichimaru not attempting to kill Rangiku or kidnap her? Something clearly wasn't adding up here. Damn why did that man have to be so frustrating "So if you wasn't sneaking into my office to attempt to kill Rangiku..."

"Your confused, its quite simple really" Ichimaru said mockingly "I was off doing other stuff that day and just like on the patrol, I set it up with what I wanted it to do, placed a camera on it and left it to its own devices. The interesting thing about those dummies, they are harmless. They wont attack anyone or anything unless they are specifically ordered to do so. Or...unless someone is stupid enough to attack them first. If that happens self preservation kicks in and they turn vicious."

"I see..." Hitsugaya felt a bit stunned, how many more presumptions had they made that could be wrong? "So if you wasn't trying to kill Rangiku then, what's changed? Why are you trying to make her suffer now?"

"Oh ya know" Ichimaru casually flicked his wrist "everything changed once I got around to watching the video playback" Ichimaru cracked his eyes open a tiny slither "Ya see I thought Rangiku would have happily come along with me once she realised I was still alive" Ichimaru took one step closer to Hitsugaya "Imagine my surprise when I discovered she was with another man" another step forward "that she had moved on" another step "and that man..." he pointed his blade right at Hitsugaya "was you of all people.." he stopped moving forward but his sword stayed right where it was. "She betrayed me and to get even, I'm going to make sure everything she holds dear in this place is destroyed. Starting with her nearest and dearest friends, which have already been taken care off. So that just leaves little Chibi-chan. I thought I'd save the best for last."

Hitsugaya dived to his right when Shinsou's blade came flying towards him, he wasn't quick enough and the blade made a shallow gash on his left thigh.

Ichimaru's spiritual pressure sky-rocketed, Hitsugaya looked over to him and saw him smirk at him before mouthing the words "Bankai...Kamishininoyari."

Hitsugaya jumped back to his feet quickly calling upon his own bankai, he'd just managed to merge into his ice dragon form when Ichimaru came charging forwards swinging his blade wildly, he was so fast all Hitsugaya could see was blurs. He swung his sword from side to side desperately trying to block each of Ichimaru's swings. One wrong move and he would be skewered.

Ichimaru pointed his blade straight at Hitsugaya, "Buto" Ichimaru's blade shot out and cleaved its way through one of Hitsugaya's icy dragons wing. With a little downwards flick of the wrist it had completely severed the wing, all in the blink of an eye.

Hitsugaya quickly restored the broken wing and took to the skies. It wouldn't stop Ichimaru's blade from reaching him, but at least up here he could move around more freely. Down on the ground he would stand no chance against the speed of Ichimaru's Bankai.

* * *

Rangiku was still sprinting down the dark corridors with Momo close behind her. She hoped if she'd kept running long enough whoever was pursuing them would grow tired and give up. No such luck. Whatever that purple glowing creature was, it was intent on catching them and if it was still chasing them, so was the other two people.

Her original plan was to lose the creature and dive into one of the rooms and lay low until they left again, but the creature was a fast little critter and it was constantly on their tale.

They was nearing another corner and Rangiku quickly looked over her shoulder. Dammit who would have thought something small like a butterfly could move so damn fast.

She rounded the corner and felt a jolt of shock when she saw two orbs of light one purple and one pearly white, floating directly in front of her face. She didn't have time to register who the orbs belonged to before she crashed full force into the persons who had produced said orbs.

The cry of alarm that left her mouth was a mix of shock and fear. The two kido balls flickered and died on impact plunging them once again into darkness. She had fortunately landed on top of the person she had crashed into which gave her a slight advantage.

She was about to pull herself back to her feet when two strong arms gripped her in a vice like hold. She immediately began to squirm trying to loosen the grip so she could flee "Let go of me!" she demanded with as much venom in her voice as she could muster. She was suddenly aware that she was straddling her captor, her breasts must be pressing against the persons chest.

"Calm down Rangiku, I'm not going to hurt you."

"Captain Ukitake!" she replied, the panic immediately left her upon hearing his familiar warm and caring voice. A purple orb of light flared up to her left and looking over she saw the concerned face of Nanao peering back at her "Nanao!"

"I'm glad we managed to find you Rangiku-san" Nanao looked away from her and Rangiku followed her gaze. She saw that Momo was lying on her side just behind her.

"Hey Momo are you OK?" Rangiku asked.

Momo stirred and slowly sat herself up rubbing the back of her head "I think I hit my head when I fell. But I think I'm OK."

Ukitake cleared his throat loudly to gain their attentions "Err Rangiku...could you please" he dropped his eyes down to where she was still straddling his hips and half lying across his chest.

Her eyes widened and her mouth opened in an "Oh" before she quickly extracted herself from him "Sorry" she replied cheekily.

They all got to their feet and brushed themselves off "Captain Ukitake, what are you doing down here?" she asked.

"Rescuing you of course" Ukitake replied smirking "But it appears you had it covered already."

"Where are we exactly?" Momo asked quietly.

"In the lower levels of the central library, the basement to be exact" Nanao answered.

Rangiku stepped passed Ukitake and Nanao and began walking down the corridor while calling over her shoulder "If there's nothing else keeping us here I really need to get moving." Nanao and Momo began following her.

Ukitake lagged behind slightly while he summoned a hell butterfly. Once he'd finished sending the message to Toushiro he quickly caught back up with them.

Several minutes later the four of them walked out the doors of the library and was immediately engulfed by the heavy, combined pressures of Hitsugaya and Ichimaru going at it with their Bankai's.

Peering up at the Sokyoku hill through the thick sheets of lashing rain they saw Toushiro flying around dodging Ichimaru's blade. There was a flash of lightening and it highlighted the hill briefly. In that short moment all four pairs of eyes watched as Ichimaru's blade went hurtling towards Toushiro at a frighteningly fast pace. They all watched in horror as it impaled his abdomen causing him to double up, then retracted again just as fast. Then his icy swings shattered and he began falling back down to earth.

"TOUSHIROOO!" Rangiku cried out before breaking into a run and flash stepping towards the hill.

"Rangiku No!" Ukitake, Nanao and Momo all called after her in unison.


	30. Chapter 30

Hello! This week has been a pretty difficult week for me. Whenever I did get the time to sit down and write I was so stressed out I could'nt think what to write. But I'm nice and relaxed now and I've managed to get this chapter out at last. I would like to say a big Thank you to Cittyno2, Prince of Winter Dragons, Shannon Hitsugaya and Emarald Tsukino for your reviews. I love reading your comments and they have really helped me to keep going with this story through an awful awful week. Thank you guys! /hugs ^_^ this chapter is for you. And a quick warning the next chapter will be the last, followed by an epilogue /cry D:

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Someone To Lean On Chapter 30

One would think, hurtling towards the ground from the air at a startling fast pace, that the impact would be somewhat...painful. If not outright deadly.

Yet when the impact came he hardly felt it. Maybe the combination of bare wet skin, and merging with Hyourimaru had made his body go so numb that he was unable to feel pain. Or maybe he was already in so much pain before the impact, that his mind barely registered it.

Either way he was back on the ground and miraculously, he was still alive...for now.

Since being grounded he had stayed stock still, no-one could have expected him to have survived that fall from the sky. Especially Ichimaru.

For the first time since they'd engaged in combat up here, he actually had the upper hand for once. All he had to do to maintain that advantage was to pretend to be dead just a little bit longer.

'Hyourimaru, are we still able to maintain Bankai?'

'Yes Master, although I would suggest ending this as quickly as possible" Hyourimaru rumbled in the back of his mind 'Much of my energy has been spent freezing your wounds. Once the effects wear off, you will be in a world of pain.'

'I see, then lets make it count.'

He heard the melodic tinkle of a hell butterfly fluttering over his head and felt it land on his shoulder. It took him a lot of self control not to react on hearing the message from Ukitake. He had found Rangiku.

'Hyourimaru, there is no need for us to hold back now.'

'What do you want to do Master?'

'I want to completely annihilate Ichimaru. So he wont be a threat ever again to Rangiku.'

'Do you have a plan Master?'

'Yeah... I have a plan. I just need to know where Ichimaru is, can you see him?'

'Yes, he's walking over this way.'

'Good. He's not the only one who can play around with clones.'

It was sheer luck that he'd landed where he had, nicely concealed behind a thick clump of bushes. He quickly created his ice clone and made sure it was lying face down. Satisfied he quickly flash stepped away, bracing himself for any pain he may feel.

Landing in his new position he doubled over and clutched his stomach tightly with his left arm. He pulled his hand away once the pain subsided and his fingers came away sticky with blood. The ice Hyourimaru had used to seal his wounds was quickly melting. A quick glance at his shoulder wound showed him a thin trickle of blood starting to make its way down his arm again.

He looked back over to the bushes he had just vacated and was pleased to see that Ichimaru's back was facing him.

"Yare Yare Shiro-chan, this ain't no time for a nap" Ichimaru mocked.

Hitsugaya began drawing moisture from the surrounding area and regenerating his shattered icy wings. Due to the vast amount of water from the raging storm there was more then enough to repair what he needed and then some.

By the time he had finished, his icy wings and tail were twice their normal size, while ice had completely engulfed the rest of his body. Ice had formed around his head creating a helmet shaped like Hyourimaru's face and snout. The mouth of the dragon framed his face. Along his jaw line extended Hyourimaru's bottom jaw, and above his forehead the snout protruded out so his head was nestled safely inside the mouth.

He took two experimental steps forward and was pleased that the additional ice armour responded well to his movements. He turned his attention back towards Ichimaru who had stopped a few metres away from his ice clone and was busy taunting it.

"Ya see, this is what happens when they send a little kid to do a man's job Shiro-chan. They cant cut it and they get hurt."

"I'm surprised Rangiku fell for you of all people. I'm sure she is just with ya cause she feels sorry for ya. Or maybe she is just that desperate."

He gritted his teeth, the taunts targeted at him although annoying were predictable. What got his back up was though was how Ichimaru was dragging Rangiku into it. His temper flared and he lost the grip he had on his spiritual pressure, which he'd clamped right down to avoid giving his presence away.

Ichimaru felt the brief flicker and looked over his shoulder. When he saw Hitsugaya standing there in full dragon armour he spun around and his eyes momentarily opened in surprise. He turned back to take another look at the ice clone but Hitsugaya chose to destroy it. It shattered into millions of tiny little shards, which went raining down to the ground.

"My my, what a dirty little trick Shiro-chan."

"Enough" Hitsugaya raised his sword and pointed it directly at Ichimaru, his eyes began to glow "I wont allow you to hurt anyone else" his spiritual pressure peaked and an icy blue light surrounded his glowing body "Its time to end this."

Ichimaru's own pressure peaked "Well if you insist" he pointed Shinsou's tip towards Hitsugaya and fired.

Hitsugaya anticipated the attack and flashed away, managing to avoid the attack by taking to the sky. He flew straight up and after doing a quick loop, he came speeding back to the ground in a dive. "Guncho Tsurara" He slashed his sword in front of him creating sharp spears of icicles. With a flick of his sword he launched them towards the ground and watched as they hit the target dead on.

Although Ichimaru had been impaled, it didn't stop him from pointing his sword and aiming his blade right back at him. Hitsugaya swerved to his left, Shinsou's blade went flying past his face and crashing into one of his icy wings. This time the wing held steady and rather then shattering into pieces, only a few chips broke off.

He landed back down on the ground a good distance away from Ichimaru, who was currently stumbling on his feet with a jagged icicle impaling his right shoulder and left thigh.

Toushiro looked down at his own body, he could see a deep crimson patch spreading across his stomach through the gleaming ice armour. Hyourimaru was right he needed to end this quickly. He looked back over to Ichimaru, like him Ichimaru's strength was also flagging.

Their eyes met and Hitsugaya tensed up. Whatever Ichimaru decided to throw at him he would be ready for it. The minutes dragged by painfully slow as they carried on staring at each other, neither of them moving a millimetre.

Then Ichimaru moved.

The only warning Hitsugaya got was the slightest twitch in Ichimaru's grin before he came charging at him sword raised and stabbing wildly. Hitsugaya swung his sword from side to side blocking as many swings and thrusts as possible.

Ichimaru feinted to the left and when Hitsugaya went to block it, he pointed his blade at his chest "Buto."

Toushiro felt like he'd been hit with a sledgehammer. The sheer force of Ichimaru's blade hitting him squarely in the chest sent him skidding backwards. The only thing that had stopped the blade from piercing him right through his chest was the additional ice armour covering his bare chest. But even so, he could hear the ice cracking and fracturing from the force pushing him back.

His feet felt like they were on fire. The friction of his skidding feet had eaten through his sandals and now he could feel the skin on his heels being cleaved away as he was pushed back over the rocky ground.

He threw a look over his shoulder and gasped in shock. The edge of the Sokyoku was getting alarmingly close, yet Ichimaru's blade showed no signs of slowing down and stopping.

Ichimaru wasn't going to stop pushing him back until he had completely fallen off the edge of the cliff. If memory served him well, he knew that side of the hill was a sheer drop and at the bottom was nothing to break his fall but more rocks.

He was less then a hundred metres from the edge... The wind was billowing through his hair.

Seventy five metres... The ice on his chest was crumbling away, either he was going to die instantly when Ichimaru's blade finally broke through the remaining ice, or he was going to plummet to his death.

Fifty metres... A flash of fiery red and white rushed past him so fast he didn't see what it was, but was pretty sure it was...

Twenty five metres... Rangiku! No she couldn't be up here. This was the worst possible place she could be right now. If he didn't make it...

He braced himself as he was launched off the edge of the Sokyoku Hill, as expected Ichimaru's blade retracted as soon as he'd cleared the edge.

He felt momentarily weightless just floating there in the air, until gravity finally kicked in and he began to free fall.

The wind rushed through him, chilling him to the core and roared deafeningly in his ears. He was being flipped and tossed around like a piece of paper.

He managed to flip over onto his stomach and saw the huge expanse of ground rushing up to meet him.

'MASTER!' Hyourimaru roared in his mind 'WINGS!'

Wings? He thought. All rational thought seemed to have abandoned him.

'FLY!'

Common sense finally kicked in and his rational thoughts finally caught up to him. He spread his wings as wide as he could and threw out his arms and legs to help slow down his dangerous descent to the ground.

When he'd slowed up somewhat he began flapping his wings frantically and tried to pull up and away from the ground, screaming out a battle cry as he poured all his effort into it. Finally and with only metres to spare he managed to gain full control of his body and pull out of the falling dive.

He allowed himself a quick minute to breathe and get his heart rate back to normal before speeding back up to the top of the Sokyoku hill, pumping his wings and willing his body to fly faster the whole way.

Once he reached the top again he didn't stop, instead he kept rushing forward.

He could see the small figure of Ichimaru in the distance. Had he really been pushed that far back?

He rushed past Rangiku again, sparing her a quick glance. He was relieved to see that Ukitake was with her and holding her back from going any further. He didn't want her anywhere near Ichimaru.

He was rapidly approaching Ichimaru now, so he pointed his sword at him and yelled "Daiguren Hyourimaru!"

Hyourimaru manifested himself into his giant serpentine form. He stretched his wings wide and roared before charging towards Ichimaru. He barged into Ichimaru shoving him backwards before snatching him up between his jaws and taking to the sky. He swirled around in the air before he came crashing back down to the ground and slamming Ichimaru into the wet rocky ground with a sickening thud.

Toushiro caught up and saw ice surrounding Ichimaru like a small glacier. He gave his sword a quick flick and the ice shattered. He saw Ichimaru fall to his knees, Shinsou was lying discarded by his side and a pool of blood was slowly seeping away from him.

Toushiro felt exhausted, his dragon wings and icy armour shattered and he too fell to his knees panting heavily. The blood from all his wounds began gushing from him and pooling around his hands and knees.

He heard a pained groan and looked up to see Ichimaru staring at him again. Ichimaru reached his hand out and snatched up Shinsou before stumbling back to his feet, glaring viciously at him "It...ain't...over...yet... Shiro-chan..." he drawled out between pants.

Hitsugaya gripped Hyourimaru's handle tightly and he too stumbled back to his feet "No... Its not, So lets end this now."

"Winner takes it all.."

They both charged, they both yelled out a battle cry, they both raised their swords and struck..

* * *

"Rangiku stop!" Ukitake called from somewhere behind her.

She ignored him and carried on with sprinting through the pouring rain. She wasn't entirely sure that she was going the right way, but she carried on regardless. Although she'd been having trouble detecting spiritual pressure lately, she had no problem detecting the massive clash of reiatsu between Toushiro and Gin. What bothered her now, was the fact that she couldn't feel anything.

_Toushiro...you better be OK, I will kill you myself if you die._

She knew that thought made no sense, but she was feeling so damn worried for him.

A tall white shape popped in front of her and she just managed to side step it and avoid crashing into it. However two sturdy arms grabbed her around the waist and prevented her from running any further.

She squirmed in Ukitake's arms and turned to face him so she could place her hands on his chest and push him away from her. Although the Captain appeared frail at times with his illness, he was actually quite strong and it was like trying to budge a brick wall.

"Captain Ukitake let go of me!" she growled. Why couldn't he understand that she needed to get to Toushiro now!

"Lieutenant Matsumoto!" Ukitake yelled, a streak of fork lightening came crashing down from the sky, striking a nearby tree and setting it alight. She flinched at hearing Ukitake's harsh tone and ceased trying to struggle.

If hearing the gentle Captains anger directed at her wasn't bad enough, looking him in the eye was even worse. Gone was the gentle fatherly look he always adopted and in its place was pure unamused anger. She could have sworn she saw a hint of lightening flash in the deep depths of his chocolate eyes. She then wondered if that bolt of lightening that destroyed the tree was part of the storm raging around them or whether it was because Ukitake had lost his grip on his spiritual pressure for a moment. Kind of like how frost tends to form around Toushiro when his anger flares. She could have sworn she caught the brief scent of the sea in the air, with her difficulties at sensing pressures lately, it really was hard to tell.

"I'm sorry Rangiku.." he said a bit more gently before relaxing his grip on her waist "But I cant allow you to go rushing off in your condition."

One of Rangiku's hands dropped from Ukitake's chest and rested against her stomach, surely he couldn't know "What condition?" she looked him in the eye and was relieved to see that the anger had melted away and his usual kind expression was back again.

"I know that your pregnant Rangiku and I couldn't live with myself if I allowed you to run ahead and potentially be in harms way."

Rangiku stared at him "How do you know that?"

"Its not important" he dropped his hands from her waist and stepped around her and began walking over to where he last felt Toushiro's spiritual pressure.

He'd only walked a few paces when he heard Rangiku's hurried footsteps catch him up. She reached out and looped her arm through his "I'm sorry too, I'm so worried about Toushiro its making me crazy."

"Its OK" Ukitake rested his free hand over hers and smiled "Brace yourself now."

She was about to question him why, when she felt the familiar feeling of being shunpoed. They dropped out of it and she took in her surroundings. They were in a more wide open area of the Sokyoku hill and in the distance she could see the two distinctive figures of Toushiro and Gin.

Toushiro's sword seemed to have impaled Gin through his chest, while Ichimaru's sword was lodged in Toushiro's side. A thick puddle of blood had formed around their feet, who it belonged to was impossible to tell. What upset Rangiku the most was the thick cloud of spirit particles drifting around the pair.

Which of them was dying? Who was dissolving and about to leave this world forever? "TOUSHIRO!" she screamed before trying to run over to him, however Ukitake held her back.

Both men looked over to her before each tugged on their swords and yanked them out of the other person. Both of them stumbled back, clutching their wounds and falling to their knees.

Rangiku caught Toushiro's eye and he gave the tiniest of nods before returning his gaze back to Ichimaru. Rangiku watched in fascinated horror as Gin's sword suddenly dissolved into spirit particles before her eyes and then Ichimaru himself also dissolved, before drifting away with the wind.

Toushiro struggled to get to his feet, once he was up he turned to face Rangiku and Ukitake. He tried to say something but words failed him. He raised a hand but it felt weak and heavy. Hyourimaru dropped from his hand as he tried to take a step forward, he stumbled then he fell.

Rangiku rushed forward and caught him before he could hit the floor. She gently layed him down on the ground and rested her forehead against his.

"Rangiku.." he managed in a small, faint voice. She felt him lift one weak arm and his cold palm cupped her cheek.

She pulled back so she could look at him, resting her own warm hand against his. Her eyes began to sting as the hot tears threatened to fall. He looked so battered and bruised lying there.

"I love you...Rangiku.." he coughed violently and Rangiku was alarmed when she saw some blood dribble out of his mouth and down his chin.

Rangiku sniffed back the tears that had started to escape "Don't talk like your dying Toshi, you cant leave me."

"I don't think I'm going to make it..."

Ukitake sank to his knees beside them "Hang in there Toushiro, the Fourth should be here soon."

"Of course your going to make it. You have to make it Toshi, do you want to know why?" Rangiku gave his cold fingers on her cheek a little squeeze.

"Why..?" He asked, his voice was so faint now it was barely a whisper.

"Because" she placed her spare hand against his cheek "Your going to be a father Toshi" she guided his hand that was resting on her cheek down to her stomach and held his hand flat against it "I'm pregnant."

Toushiro's eyes lit up and he managed a weak smile "That...makes me...feel so...happy."

Rangiku was happy that Toushiro was happy, but she could see that he was barely hanging onto consciousness, she leant forward and planted a kiss on his lips "Its going to be great having another cute little Toushiro running around" the tears in her eyes began to fall freely, splashing onto Toushiro's forehead "Its a boy by the way."

Toushiro managed one final weak smile before his eyes drifted shut and his hand fell limp from Rangiku's stomach.

"Toshi! TOSHI!" She screamed dropping her hands to his shoulders and giving him a shake "You cant leave me!" she cried out between sobs "We need you..."


	31. Chapter 31

Hello guys, I know this chapter is somewhat late, but its alot longer then planned so I've had to split it into two chapters. So now there's this one, another and hopefully the epilogue. Was going to post them all together but didn't want to keep you waiting much longer. Thank you to the people who reviewed the last chapter. Enjoy and Happy Reading!

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Someone To Lean On Chapter 31

'_I'm not going anywhere. I'm not leaving you. Your my reason for living and I need you too. And that's a promise... Rangiku.'_

Toushiro cracked his eyes open and groaned loudly, throwing up an arm to shield his sore eyes from the blinding white light that was shining down on him.

"Master...?"

Feeling movement nearby he slowly opened his eyes again and found that the bright light was being blocked by the giant form of Hyourimaru.

"Hyourimaru.. So I'm in my inner world then.."

"Correct. I've been waiting a long time for you to wake up Master."

Toushiro raised his head to look at Hyourimaru's face, the dragons face gave nothing away, but he was sure Hyourimaru sounded...excited? "How long?"

"Everybody as been worried about you" Hyourimaru hesitated slightly before deciding to be blunt and blurted out "About three months Master."

"THREE MONTHS!" he didn't mean to shout out like that, but three months was a hell of a long time to be out of it "Is Rangiku OK?"

"She is fine Master. She is being well looked after by Grandfather."

"Grandfather?"

Hyourimaru nodded enthusiastically "Ukitake."

"Whatever happened to calling him father?" Toushiro frowned.

Hyourimaru swung his giant tail around and jabbed Toushiro in the stomach with it playfully "Things change."

Toushiro was pondering what Hyourimaru had just said when his musings were interrupted by a loud screech coming from behind Hyourimaru. He was about to question the Ice dragon when a golden reddish blur shot over their heads, kicking up a strong gust of wind.

"Hyourimaru what the hell was that!" he yelled brushing his hair back and out of his eyes.

Instead of answering, Hyourimaru stretched his wings wide and took to the skies chasing down the strange golden blur.

While Hyourimaru was gone Toushiro swept his eyes around his inner world and gaped. What the hell was happening here?

The usual blanket of snow covered every square inch of the ground but everything else looked different. The usual steely grey coverage of clouds was gone and in its place was an endless expanse of blue sky, fluffy white clouds and... Sunshine!

His inner landscape was usually dotted with dead frozen trees and boulders, but instead the dead trees were now full of life and awash with Autumnal colours. The biggest change of all was the overall temperature of the place. There was still a chilly breeze in the air, but it wasn't as bitterly cold as he was accustomed too.

He heard a thump and felt the ground rumble under his feet as Hyourimaru crashed back down to the ground behind him. He turned to face the mighty dragon and his mouth fell open in shock.

"Sorry Master, I cant take my eyes off him for a minute. I would love to know where he gets all his energy from."

Toushiro stared at Hyourimaru stunned. Perched on top of the giant dragons head was what could only be describe as a miniature version of Hyourimaru. Instead of the icy blues his Zanpakuto donned, this little dragon gleamed with all the warm colours one would associate with a golden autumn afternoon.

The baby dragon jumped from Hyourimaru's head and landed in front of Toushiro, it looked at him and let out a loud high pitched screech.

"Hyourimaru... What.. Who is this?" Toushiro stuttered.

"This little fellow..." Hyourimaru swung his tail around and began stroking the baby dragons head with it affectionately "Zanpakuto are born with their masters Toushiro."

"You mean to say that this... this is.. he will be..."

Hyourimaru nodded patiently "He will be your son's Zanpakuto. Until your son is ready to wield him, I shall be watching over him until the time is right. I shall teach him how to be a Zanpakuto" Hyourimaru rumbled with pride.

Toushiro was overwhelmed with feelings of pride, his future son was going to be a Shinigami someday too. He shouldn't be surprised really with his and Rangiku's strong spiritual pressures, he should have expected that his son would inherit it from at least one of them.

"What is he called Hyourimaru?" Toushiro asked intrigued.

"I'm sorry Master, you know I cant tell you that. Only your son is allowed to know his name first."

"Forgive me, I should not have asked that. Its not my place to know."

"Don't worry about it Toushiro, you have always been the curious type" Hyourimaru rumbled.

Toushiro took one step back and turned to look at his inner world. It looked a lot different to what he was used to, but it wasn't an unpleasant change "Is that the reason why my inner world has changed so much Hyourimaru?"

"Its only temporary Master. Once your son is born his Zanpakuto spirit will find the way to his own inner world" Hyourimaru paused and scooped up the little dragon with his tail, which had fallen asleep "I wasn't expecting you to wake up just yet. If I had known I would've had time to put your inner world back to how you know it first."

"Are you saying I shouldn't have seen any of this at all?" Toushiro asked quirking an eyebrow.

"Yes Master. A persons soul is private. You must keep this to yourself and know that what you have witnessed, although accidental is a one time deal only."

"Thank you Hyourimaru. I cannot describe how I feel at seeing a glimpse of my son's soul."

"Toushiro..." Hyourimaru began "You have to go back now. You have been unconscious a very long time recovering. Rangiku's been OK while you've been out of it. She's got the support she needs from her friends, however that support doesn't compare to what she needs from you personally."

"I know Hyourimaru, I need her too" Toushiro turned to face Hyourimaru again "We also have a lot of planning to do," Toushiro glanced one final time at the baby dragon nestled amongst Hyourimaru's coiling tail.

"I will keep Haineko and this little fellow safe" Hyourimaru turned away from him and began walking into the distance "Just like you will keep Rangiku and your son safe."

The surrounding temperature fell drastically back to the sub zero temperatures he was used to. The sky grew dark as the usual steely grey clouds rolled back into place, obscuring the sunshine. The little bit of Autumn he witnessed in his inner world receded as Winter once again took over. A strong gust of wind blew over him kicking up a thick cloud of snow which enveloped him, restricting his view of Hyourimaru walking off into the distance.

All that surrounded him now was a thick cloud of snow and a blinding white light. He felt like he was floating and slowly being lifted out of his inner world.

He knew this feeling well. He was regaining consciousness.

* * *

"Rangiku-san.."

Matsumoto batted the hand away that was frantically shaking her shoulder.

"Rangiku-san.. wake up!"

"Let the poor girl sleep a bit longer Nanao-chan, its clear she's tired," Kyouraku drawled lazily.

Rangiku sighed and rolled over onto her side, enjoying the cool shade the massive tree she was sprawled under offered. It was July and the Seireitei was currently in the midst of a heatwave.

She'd been out on one of her regular walks around the extensive gardens of the Thirteenth division, however the stifling heat started getting to her so she'd been forced to seek out the cool shade of a nearby tree.

"Captain!" Nanao snapped irritated "So this is where you've been hiding all afternoon."

"I haven't been hiding anywhere, I'm just enjoying this fine weather."

Rangiku heard a thud as Kyouraku jumped down from his branch and landed a few metres away from her resting spot.

"Of course I'd enjoy it so much more if my lovely Nanao-chan was by my side to enjoy it with me."

There was a distinctive thwack as Nanao's fan collided with Shunsui's knuckles "Ow Nanao-chan so cruel."

"Unfortunately one of us has to do the paperwork, and seeing as you have no intentions of doing it, that means I have no choice but to do it" Nanao shot back coldly.

Rangiku grinned at the familiar bickering between her two friends, even though they were a couple now it didn't change a centuries worth of habits between them.

"Nanao come and sit with me for a little while" Shunsui requested patting the grass beside him "I was on my way to see Juu, when I came across Ran fast asleep under this tree. I couldn't walk on by and leave her on her own."

Nanao sighed "No, I don't suppose I could've either."

"So what brings you here Nanao-chan, was you missing your lovable, huggable Captain that much?"

Nanao frowned and chose to ignore that comment "I came to see if Rangiku-san was all right. She missed the SWA meeting I just came from. I stopped by the Thirteenths office and Captain Ukitake hadn't seen her all day. He's quite worried you know."

Rangiku allowed herself to drift back to sleep, comforted by the sound of Nanao and Shunsui talking close by. The truth is she felt exhausted, she'd been missing Toushiro so much. It wasn't so bad during the days when she was surrounded by her friends, however at night she felt a deep sense of loneliness and sleep evaded her.

She wrapped her arms tighter around her bump. Well, she wasn't completely alone, she did have her little man with her. She was five months into her pregnancy and it was noticeable if you knew what you were looking for. At her last appointment with Unohana, the Captain informed her that he was perfectly healthy and normal, just a little on the small side. Unohana wasn't worried about it, Toushiro was after all a small child growing up, and even fully grown he was still shorter then the average male Shinigami. So there was a good chance their baby boy was following in his fathers footsteps.

She let out a contented sigh and was just about to let herself completely drop off when a peculiar pain in her stomach caused her to gasp and bolt upright.

She placed her hand over where the odd pain came from and was shocked when she felt a little movement followed by the same sensation as before.

Nanao was instantly by her side resting her arm around her shoulder "Rangiku-san what is it? Are you OK?"

"I think he just kicked me" she replied feeling the sensation again beneath her hand "Feel it for yourself" she grabbed Nanao's hand and guided it to where she felt the movement.

Nothing happened for several minutes "I think he's a bit shy Rangiku-san" Nanao was about to pull her hand away when she felt the tiniest bit of movement "Was that?"

"Yes!" Rangiku beamed happily "See he's starting to kick."

"May I Ran-chan?" Kyouraku asked kneeling on her other side.

"Sure go ahead" she replied delighted.

"He's sure going to be one lively fellow Ran-chan."

They all sat in silence for quite awhile each with a hand on Rangiku's stomach feeling each small movement of the baby. The three of them were so deeply absorbed by it, they failed to notice somebody approaching them until they heard a throat being cleared.

On hearing the noise they all snapped their heads in the persons direction, to see Ukitake standing there with a slight smirk on his face.

"Juu!" Shunsui greeted jovially "You gotta come and feel this."

"I was wondering what you three were up to" he chuckled lightly.

"Come and have a feel Captain Ukitake, he's started moving around" Rangiku was practically bouncing.

Ukitake knelt down in front of her and placed his hand gently over her bump, a grin spread across his face when he felt the small movements coming from inside "Thats wonderful Rangiku."

"So what brings you out here Juu, having a break from paperwork?" Shunsui asked, grinning at the glare he received from Nanao.

Ukitake raised his other hand in answer and on his palm sat a hell butterfly "A message came from the fourth a little while ago, its for you Rangiku."

Rangiku reached her hand out and gently plucked the delicate creature from Ukitake's palm, hoping like hell it was news about Toushiro. The disappointment she felt on hearing the message must have shown on her face, she looked up through blurry eyes and saw three identical looks of concern staring back at her. She let out a small sob and the tears spilled down her cheeks.

Kyouraku glanced at Ukitake and nodded, before getting to his feet and dragging Nanao up to hers "Come Nanao-chan, I think its time we looked over that paperwork."

Before Nanao could get over the shock of Kyouraku actually wanting to do paperwork, Shunsui had grabbed her and shunpoed the two of them away, leaving Ukitake to deal with a tearful Rangiku.

Ukitake frowned at Shunsui's sudden departure, his friend never could stand to see a woman cry. "Do you want to talk about it Rangiku?"

"I'm OK" she said before rising to her feet and stretching "I just thought for a minute that maybe Toushiro had finally woken up. But its just Captain Unohana wanting to see me for a check up."

"I'm sorry Rangiku, I thought the same thing too."

"Its been three months, I just wish..." Rangiku let out a long sigh "I need him. I feel lost and alone without him."

Ukitake pulled her into a comforting hug "I cant even begin to imagine how hard it is for you. But remember this, your never alone."

"Its been so long, what if he never wakes up?"

"He poured everything he had into taking down Ichimaru, his whole being is exhausted. His long recovery is to be expected. Retsu is taking good care of Toushiro, he will wake up."

Rangiku ran a hand over her stomach "I hope so."

"He will," Ukitake pulled away from her and smiled "When do you need to see Retsu?"

Rangiku wiped her eyes on the back of her sleeve "Now."

"I'll come with you if you like, for company."

Rangiku smiled "You don't have to."

"But I want to. Besides I need to see Retsu anyway, so its no trouble."

* * *

When Toushiro woke up he was surprised how pain free he felt. The wounds he'd received had been severe and he was sure once he regained consciousness he would've been 'In a world of pain' as Hyourimaru had put it.

He slowly wiggled his toes and worked his way up, testing his body and finding only stiff and unused muscles. The only discomfort he found was a pounding headache so all in all, he was in good shape.

Looking around his small sick room he saw that he was alone, however draped over the back of a nearby chair was Rangiku's pink scarf. A small smile formed on his lips, Rangiku had been here.

He reached over for it and brought it up to his nose, inhaling deeply. Her lingering scent flooded his nostrils and a rush of warmth spread through out his body.

He reached out with his senses and was surprised to come across Rangiku's presence so close by, she was only a few rooms away. He was half expecting her to be at the Thirteenth seeing as she wasn't in his room when he woke up. She was in one of the treatment rooms with Unohana and someone else. He couldn't quite make out who the third presence belonged to, the energy signature was quite faint and unfamiliar. He could also feel Ukitake's strong and steady presence hovering close by.

He swung his legs off the side of his bed and pressed his bare feet against the cold floor. He steadily got to his feet and when he was satisfied he wasn't going to fall flat on his face, he took a tentative step forward. He felt light headed and his legs were a little wobbly but the need to see Rangiku kept him moving despite his weakened body.

He managed two more steps forward before his knees buckled and he went crashing to the floor, toppling over the night stand as he went. He heard the door open and footsteps hurried into the room.

"Captain Hitsugaya let us help you there," Isane said, voice full of concern.

Two pairs of hands gripped him and hoisted him up off the floor and carried him back over to his bed, "Hanataro could you please go and inform Captain Unohana, that Captain Hitsugaya has regained consciousness,"

Hanataro nodded "Yes Lieutenant," and hurried from the room.

Once Isane had him settled back in his bed she began taking his vitals and asking questions "How are you feeling Captain Hitsugaya? Are you in any pain?"

"Can I see Rangiku?" he was hoping to sound commanding but it came out quiet and scratchy.

Isane handed him a beaker of water which he chugged down, the cool liquid was soothing to his raw throat.

"I expect she will be on her way with Unohana once Hanataro delivers the message," Isane replied smiling.

"I see. Thank you" he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

He heard the door open again so he peeked his eyes open and saw Unohana standing at the foot of his bed smiling serenely "Its good to see you awake again Toushiro."

She briefly looked over to Isane before returning her gaze once again to him "Are you hungry Toushiro?"

"No I'm fine" he lied. Truthfully he was ravenous. If Hyourimaru was right and he'd been out of it for three months, then it was obvious he was lying.

A loud rumble from his stomach broke the silence of the room and the corners of Unohana's mouth flickered up slightly "Isane can you bring some food for Toushiro please."

"Yes Captain." Isane quietly walked out the room.

Unohana came around to his side and perched herself on the edge of his bed "Toushiro... care to explain to me why Isane found you on the floor?"

"I really needed to see Rangiku. I sensed her a few rooms away... I thought I could make it."

"You have been unconscious for three months Toushiro, you pushed yourself to your absolute limits. Its a miracle that your still alive, you HAVE to take it steady. Do you understand?"

Toushiro just nodded.

"Your body is very weak and its going to take some time until you feel like your normal self again. So all I'm allowing you to do for now, is eat and rest."

"OK" Toushiro folded his arms across his chest "Unohana, can I please see Rangiku now?"

Unohana stood up and walked over to the door "I don't see why not. Just promise me that you will eat something."

He took a deep breath to keep his temper in check "Yes" he was growing impatient.

When Unohana left the room, Toushiro reached for Rangiku's scarf again and absent mindedly ran the smooth silk between his fingers. He couldn't help but smile, he'd managed to protect Rangiku and he was going to be a father. Truthfully he'd never considered having children before, as a Captain of the Gotei 13 planning a family wasn't on the list of priorities. Still, he couldn't seem to wipe the smile off his face.

He couldn't help but wonder what his son would look like. Would his personality be warm and bubbly like Rangiku or would he be quiet and reserved like himself. Either way he was looking forward to meeting the little guy and starting a family.

He felt a stab of pain in his head followed by a brief flash of a memory. He cradled his head and tried to focus on this stray memory that suddenly wanted to resurface. Could it be that there was still some more memories left to emerge? After retracing his steps on the patrol route, he'd assumed there was nothing more to recall.

He tried to chase the memory but it alluded him, the only thing he recognized was standing outside the First Divisions meeting hall. Standing in front of him was Ukitake and Kyouraku, what did they have to do with this memory?

He was wrenched from his thoughts when Isane stepped through the door with a tray full of food, the smell reached his nostrils and his stomach rumbled appreciatively "Captain Hitsugaya are you feeling OK?" she asked.

He realised his hands were still cradling his head and that he was grimacing slightly, "I'm fine... Just a headache."

"You'll probably feel better after a good meal, but still I can fetch you something for it" Isane replied helpfully.

"Actually Lieutenant, can you fetch me Captain Ukitake. I know I'm desperate to see Rangiku, but I need to talk to Ukitake first. Its urgent" he hoped Rangiku wouldn't be mad at him.

Isane placed the tray down on his lap "I'll go fetch him now for you."

Hitsugaya just nodded and Isane left him once again. As soon as the door snapped shut he returned his attention to recalling the brief snatch of memory. From what he saw, he was outside the First and was having a conversation with Ukitake and Kyouraku. What did it mean?

Another memory floated to the front of his mind, this time he was lying in this very bed and Ukitake was sitting by his side. He remembered this well, it was during his previous stay in the fourth when he was recovering from his injuries received out on that patrol. This was when he'd remembered everything apart from what actually happened on the patrol and Hyourimaru.

Also this memory he was witnessing now, was when he'd told Ukitake that he couldn't remember something important, and it had to do with Rangiku. Ukitake had specifically told him that he knew what he'd forgotten and that he should wait and try and recall it for himself. So much had happened between then and now, it'd been completely driven from his mind. How could he have forgotten that memory so easily.

What was the memory? And why did it wait till now to resurface, while he was thinking about family of all things.

There was a light tap on the door and a second later Ukitake stepped into the room, "I'm glad to see you back with us Toushiro" he greeted while walking to the side of his bed "So what's the emergency?"

"I'm having memory trouble, I need your help recalling something that happened."

Ukitake pulled up a chair and made himself comfortable but remained silent.

"I thought all the memories I'd lost had returned when I retraced the patrol route, but just now I saw a brief flicker of a memory," He glanced over to Ukitake and saw him staring back at him with a blank expression.

"It only lasted a few seconds but from what I saw, I was standing outside the First division meeting halls..." he scrunched his face up in concentration.

"Go on," Ukitake said leaning forward in his seat.

"I saw you and Kyouraku. I was talking to you about something. What was the topic of conversation?"

Ukitake sighed and ran a hand over his eyes "Before I say, can I ask what brought this on? What's triggered this memory?"

"Ukitake you admitted it yourself, that you know what I cant recall. We both know its something concerning Rangiku. I get that you want me to recall it for myself, but cant you just spit it out?" he snapped irritated.

"Toushiro just answer the question, what's brought this on? What was you thinking about before you had the flash?" Ukitake asked calmly.

Toushiro crossed his arms over his chest and took in a deep calming breath "My son."

Ukitake smiled at him "What else?"

"I was wondering what the little guy would be like. Looks, personality...and how I was looking forward to starting a family with Rangiku."

"Toushiro... I can see why that line of thought would have triggered this particular memory" Ukitake looked him in the eye and noticed the annoyed frown he was donning "Forgive me, I'm not keeping this from you on purpose. But it would have been so much better if you recalled it on your own."

Toushiro remained stubbornly quiet.

"You said you recalled attending the meeting before you was sent out on patrol, but other then that do you remember what else happened in that meeting? Or what happened before and after?" Ukitake continued.

"Now that I think about it... No."

"Thats a shame" Ukitake got to his feet and began pacing "Before the meeting started you approached myself and Shunsui. You specifically asked us whether there'd been any Captains in the past that'd been in a relationship with their Lieutenant..." Ukitake paused and took in Toushiro's expression, hoping to find some sort of sign that it came back to him. "Well anyway Shunsui teased you about falling for Rangiku and you got annoyed and walked away."

Toushiro sat up a little straighter in his bed, his full attention focused on the words leaving Ukitake's mouth.

"You left rather quickly after the meeting and when me and Shunsui managed to catch you up, you was a bit reluctant to talk. You tried to walk away again but Shunsui grabbed your arm to stop you, naturally you tried to get away and while you was squirming a small box fell out of your pocket."

Toushiro's eyes widened... A small box?

Ukitake noticed this and remained quiet hoping like hell Toushiro could make the connection for himself.

Toushiro winced when pain erupted behind his temples causing his eyes to water. He threw his hands up covering his eyes with his palms, while his fingers snaked into his hair. He could feel his mind being bombarded with images, making his head spin.

As quickly as it'd all started, it was done. When he came back to himself he felt two hands gripping his shoulders tightly, shaking him.

"Toushiro..." Ukitake's voice sounded faraway and worried.

He dropped his hands from his head and reached out with shaky hands, when his fingers brushed against something solid he grabbed onto it tightly in a death grip.

"Toushiro..?" This time Ukitake's voice was much clearer.

He cracked his eyes open and lifted his head, to see Ukitake staring back at him. He blinked a few times trying to clear the foggy feeling in his head "I'm OK."

"Are you sure?" Ukitake glanced down at Toushiro's death grip on his wrists.

Toushiro followed his gaze and released Ukitake's wrists, noting the bruised finger marks left behind.

Ukitake released his shoulders and stepped away flicking his wrists to regain the feeling back in them.

"Yes, I'm sure" Toushiro lay back down resting a hand over his forehead, massaging his pounding temples "I remember now."

"Good," Ukitake sat himself back down on the chair "What are you going to do about it?"

"I need to find it first, I have no idea where it could have ended up."

Ukitake rose to his feet "Leave it to me and Shunsui, we'll find it. You cant exactly go anywhere just yet."

The door opened and both men's faces turned to see Unohana standing there glaring at them "What is going on in here?" she asked, her gaze was travelling between Toushiro's form shaking on the bed, to the tray of food lying discarded on the floor, and finally to Ukitake's pale face smiling sheepishly back at her.

"Nothing Retsu, everything is fine in here" Ukitake quickly flicked his sleeves back over his bruised wrists, he wasn't entirely sure if Unohana had caught a glimpse of them.

Ukitake turned back to Toushiro "Its nice to see that your OK Toushiro, I shall drop by again later," and with that said Ukitake dived out the room and beat a hasty retreat before Unohana could react.

Toushiro stared back at Unohana not really sure if he should say anything, he felt weak and groggy from being bombarded with those recently recovered memories.

"I'll have Isane send some more food over," She looked over her shoulder and spoke to someone out of sight "Can you keep a close eye on him and make sure he eats something this time Lieutenant."

The person stepped into the room and Toushiro's face lit up "Sure thing Captain Unohana" Rangiku replied in her usual bubbly way, smirking at Toushiro.

"Rangiku!" he called pulling himself up into a sitting position.

Rangiku came bounding into the room and skipped over to his bedside "Toshi!" she cried pulling him into a suffocating hug "We've missed you so much."

We? He pulled away from Rangiku's hug and guided her to sit on the edge of his bed. He stared at her, drinking in her appearance. He was struck by how radiant she was looking, she had a lovely sun kissed glow about her and her whole aura was of warmth and happiness.

"I missed you too," he smiled. He dropped his gaze to her belly noticing the slight bump starting to make an appearance. Rangiku saw this and grabbed one of his hands and guided it towards her stomach.

When his hand was flat against Rangiku's stomach, she reached forward and planted a kiss on his forehead before resting a hand over his "Come and say hello to Daddy, little one."

Toushiro wasn't sure what Rangiku was waiting for, he looked up at her about to ask when he felt a tiny little prod against his palm. His eyebrows shot up into his hair line.

Rangiku giggled at his reaction "I think he's missed you too."

"I cant believe we're going to be parents" Toushiro smiled pulling Rangiku into another hug "How did you find out it was a boy?"

"I sensed him, instead of extending my awareness outwards, I sent it inside. I think only we can sense him at the moment though, seeing as its our reiatsu surrounding him."

Toushiro pulled away from Rangiku "When I woke up I sensed you with Unohana a few rooms away. I also felt a third presence I didn't quite recognize... was that?"

"What did it feel like Toushiro?" Rangiku asked.

"Hmm.. It had a mild feel to it, gentle and cool... it reminded me of.."

"Autumn.." Rangiku supplied for him.

"Yes," he smiled inwardly remembering his inner world. "Autumn."

They fell into a comfortable silence, holding each other in their arms. Toushiro felt happy and content. "Rangiku how far along are you?"

"Five and a half months, if all goes to plan I should be due to give birth at the end of October."

"Only three months left, that doesn't give me much time then" he sighed softly.

"What's wrong Toshi?" Rangiku sat up and stared into his teal eyes.

"I have a little confession to make Rangiku," he stared back into her steely blue eyes wondering how best to do this, "I'm afraid I've messed up really bad."

"What are you trying to say?" she whispered back.

"I had it all planned out perfectly.. if I didn't have to that damn patrol... it would have all been different." He reached up and cupped his hands around Rangiku's face "I didn't know you was pregnant at the time."

Rangiku felt her stomach clench uncomfortably, she really didn't want to hear the answer to her next question, but she couldn't stop herself from asking it, "Toushiro are you leaving me? Don't you want to be with me any more?"

"What..! No! Its not like that!" he cried out.

"Then what is it?"

Toushiro was saved from having to answer when the door to his room opened and Ukitake swept into the room grinning followed by Shunsui, Nanao, and then finally Unohana. Ukitake reached into his pocket and fished out a small box which he tossed over to Toushiro. He reached a hand up and snatched it out of the air, breathing out a sigh of relief. How did Ukiake find it so damn fast?

While Rangiku was looking over her shoulder at the new arrivals Toushiro quickly opened the small box and took a deep breath.

"Toushiro what the hell is going on?" she turned back to face him and froze.

Toushiro smiled back at her "Rangiku Matsumoto, you have made me the happiest man alive" nestled securely in his palm was the small box. Inside it sat a beautiful gold engagement ring topped with a stunning teal gem shaped like a daffodil "Will you marry me?" he reached a hand forward and placed it on her stomach.

Time stood still while Toushiro anxiously awaited her reply, the silence stretched on and he was beginning to grow worried when all of a sudden Rangiku launched herself at him, enveloping him in one of the biggest most suffocating hugs he had ever received to date. He was sandwiched between his bed and Rangiku's crushing form. His face was buried between her breasts while her pregnant stomach was pressed up tightly against his chest. He was hanging onto the box in his hand for dear life, fearful of losing the ring once again.

She finally released him and he gasped pulling in deep lungfuls of air "Yes Toushiro I would love to" she beamed.

A smile lit up his whole face and he reached for Rangiku's hand slipping the ring on her finger before pulling her into a tight embrace and crushing his lips against hers, completely oblivious to their little audience in the room. He didn't care though, all that mattered to him in that moment was Rangiku, their son and the fact that they were going to be a proper little family.

* * *

I enjoyed writing this Chapter alot but it was so long its now in two parts. The rest should be posted within the next few days ^_^


	32. Chapter 32

Hello! Finally managed to get part two finished off. Its been a somewhat difficult week for me D: But never mind finally got this finished after changing the ending five times lol. As always special thanks to the people who have reviewed. This stories been quite the journey and I'm looking forward to posting the Epilogue. Many Thanks for all the support and Happy Reading =)

* * *

Someone To Lean On Chapter 32

The Seireitei had been transformed into a magical kaleidoscope of vivid colours. The strong breeze rushed through the trees, sending leaves flurrying in a whirlwind of deep reds, oranges, browns and yellows before fluttering to the ground like thousands of little butterflies.

The blue sky was cloudless and the afternoon sun bathed everywhere in a glorious golden light. Autumn had finally arrived and with it the impending arrival of Squad Tens newest member.

Toushiro Hitsugaya stood in his usual spot lined up next to Shunsui Kyouraku, attending the latest Captains meeting. He'd already delivered his long report and was now allowing his mind to drift. A lot had happened these last few months. His Division had finally been rebuilt and his members had all finally been allowed to return to their new barracks. His office was back up and running and the paperwork was once again flooding back in. He'd wanted to ensure everything else was built first before making a start on his own private quarters.

His new home looked drastically different to his old quarters. His old rooms although comfortably spacious for one person would have been incredibly cramped for a growing family. So he'd made a few modifications and now his home was three times bigger then before, complete with a cosy nursery and a spacious garden.

He'd been anxious to get everything sorted out prior to his sons birth, he was fully intent on having everything completed and in order.

During a particularly boring report from Captain Kuchiki, Kyouraku leaned closer to him and muttered "Hows that darling wife of yours doing, any news yet?"

Hitsugaya's eyes drifted over to the empty space where Captain Unohana usually stood "Nothing yet."

Rangiku had gone to the fourth for her usual end of the month check-up about an hour before the Captains meeting was due to start. She was late coming back so he'd no choice but to set out for the First Division. When the meeting had started and Unohana hadn't turned up, he'd suspected that maybe something was happening.

That had been two hours ago and at this point, he just wanted the meeting to end already.

Unohana had assured him many times that labour can take hours and if Rangiku went into labour while he was attending his duties as a Captain, she would contact him well before anything vital happens.

Another hour crawled by and the Captains meeting still continued on, this time it was Captain Kurotsuchi delivering his report. Toushiro's focus however was directed towards the Fourth Division seeking out Rangiku's presence. Hyourimaru had been growing agitated in the back of his mind and quite a few times he'd lost his grip on his reiatsu causing the room temperature to drop cold. He threw a hand up to his temple when Hyourimaru roared a particularly deafening roar in his head.

"Will you settle down dammit!" he growled through clenched teeth.

He pulled his focus back to the meeting and was shocked to find the whole room covered in a thin layer of frost and all eyes staring at him quizzically. He groaned inwardly, did he just shout out loud?

Kyouraku grinned at him and placed a large hand on his shoulder.

Head-Captain Yamamoto cleared his throat drawing their attentions back to the meeting "Please continue Captain Kurotsuchi" his breath coming out in a little puff in the chilled room.

Kurotsuchi had barely spoken four words when Rangiku's spiritual pressure suddenly sky-rocketed. Toushiro had never felt anything like it from Rangiku before, it felt raw, uncontrolled and full of pain. Kyouraku's hand tightened on his shoulder.

"Thats not normal...is it?" Toushiro asked aloud suddenly feeling the bottom drop out of his stomach.

"No its not Toushiro" Ukitake answered quietly "But then again.."

Kurotsuchi interrupted them "But then again nobody as ever witnessed the birth of a child where both parents are in possession of strong spiritual pressure" he threw his hands up for emphasis "Who knows what can be considered normal. Its all rather interesting."

A hell butterfly fluttered into the room and hovered in front of him, he raised his hand and the butterfly began relaying its message.

Everyone in the room fell silent as Rangiku's loud anguished cries could be heard coming from the background and Isane's voice as she instructed Rangiku to breathe.

"Captain Hitsugaya" Unohana's voice spoke up calmly "I need your assistance here immediately, Rangiku's having difficulties maintaining a constant flow of pressure to your baby, I need you to lend your own pressure to help stabilize the two of them."

He looked over to Yamamoto, the old man nodded at him and said "Go."

He turned back to the butterfly "I'm on my way." As he stepped out of line Kyouraku clapped his shoulder and Ukitake gave him a nod of encouragement.

He strolled out of the room and as soon as the doors had closed shut behind him he broke into run. Once he was out of the building he flashed stepped the whole way to the fourth.

* * *

On his way to the fourth he'd kept a close watch on Rangiku's energy and was alarmed at how fast it seemed to be fading. His sons energy which he'd become very familiar with, seemed to be struggling too. Just hang in there both of you, I'm coming.

As he'd ran down the hallways of the Fourth towards the delivery room, he'd already pulled Hyourimaru off his shoulder and shrugged his haori off. As soon as he'd walked through the door to Rangiku's room he'd discarded both of them on a nearby table and was by her side in an instance.

He held her hand and rested his other hand on her cheek stroking it soothingly "Its OK Rangiku... Think how amazing its going to feel when your holding him in your arms."

"But I cant do it Toshi!" she cried out, tears spilling down her face "Its too painful."

"Yes you...OWW...can Rangiku," Another painful contraction had started and Rangiku gripped his hand tightly, hanging on for dear life, nails and all.

"Captain Hitsugaya" Unohana called from the foot of Rangiku's bed "The babies growing agitated from the lack of Spiritual pressure from Rangiku."

Rangiku gripped his hand tighter and screamed.

"I need you to lend your energy to your son to help stabilize him. It should soothe him just long enough so Rangiku can push him out."

"OK" he replied before turning his gaze to Rangiku. He kissed her forehead before closing his eyes "Forgive me, things might get a little chilly."

He knew what he had to do, Rangiku had spoken of how she did it so many times before. But truthfully when he finally got to do it himself, he found it felt so natural, so instinctive there really was nothing to worry about.

It felt strange mingling with Rangiku's energy and flowing along inside her body. He wasn't too sure which direction he should go in, but he decided to just go with the flow and eventually Rangiku's essence should flow to where he wanted to be.

The warmth of Rangiku's energy wrapped around him like a blanket, so when he felt a noticeable change in temperature, he knew exactly where to go.

Several minutes later he sensed his sons own unique presence, which was fluctuating in his agitated state at being cut off from Rangiku's own pressure. He wrapped his own energy around him protectively, soothingly. It helped to ease him and when Toushiro was satisfied he'd calmed down somewhat he began pouring his own pressure into him in one steady constant stream. He felt his sons energy begin to stabilize, so he divided his energy and began pouring some back towards Rangiku too.

He was satisfied that now he'd made the connection between the three of them, he could withdraw his awareness from inside Rangiku and return to himself. Knowing he would easily be able to maintain the connection. He wanted to witness his sons arrival.

As he gradually became aware of his surroundings, sound was the first thing to reach him. Rangiku's cries of pain. Unohana's gentle instruction. Isane and Hanataro bustling around performing various tasks.

He peeked his eyes open and saw Rangiku's exhausted pain filled face. He gave her hand a little squeeze to let her know he was back. She turned to look at him and he saw a glint of resolve settle in her eyes.

"Toshi.." she whimpered, breath coming out in a puff.

"You can do this Rangiku, I'm right here with you."

"Rangiku" Unohana called from the foot of the bed "Take a deep breath and get ready to push when I say."

Toushiro shifted his position so he was standing a bit straighter. He wrapped his arms around Rangiku's shoulders to give her a bit of warmth. Rangiku locked onto his hand squeezing tightly.

"I'm right here with you" he whispered in her ear before planting a kiss on her cheek "It will all be over soon, and all the pain will be worth it."

"Get ready Rangiku" Unohana ordered.

Rangiku breathed in a deep lungful of air, she could feel a very strong contraction on its way.

"Push!" Unohana instructed.

The pain peaked and she pushed with all her might, half growling, half crying out and screaming with the pain.

Toushiro held her hand tightly and with his free hand he cradled her head close to his face, whispering encouragement the whole time "Your doing very well Rangiku."

"And again Rangiku, Push!" Unohana urged.

Rangiku screamed, pushing with all the effort she could muster.

"Breathe Rangiku" Toushiro brushed her hair away from her sweaty forehead "Nice and steady."

"One last, big push should do it Rangiku" Unohana said smiling at her.

Rangiku took a deep breath, she felt the pain peak and the urge to push with all her might was overwhelming.

"Ready... PUSH!"

Toushiro winced as Rangiku's piercing scream went right down his ear. He lost all feeling in his hand as she clamped onto it tightly, digging her nails in. Whatever discomfort he felt was nothing compared to what Rangiku had been going through.

Her scream finally died down and gave way to heavy panting. Which then gave way to a relieved laugh, which then gave way to loud sobs as the sound of their son crying filled the room.

"You did it Rangiku!" he said jovially, voice hitching with emotion. He leant in and planted a deep kiss on her lips.

They both watched in fascination as Unohana and Isane lifted him up, while Hanataro scrabbled to get a pair of scissors for cutting the cord. When both Toushiro and Rangiku caught their first sight of him, neither could suppress the 'Aww' that left their mouths.

Unohana carried him carefully over to a nearby bowl filled with warm water and a cloth and started to clean him off. Isane went over to a stand and pulled out a sky blue blanket that had been warmed up, ready to wrap around the baby.

There was much bustling around by the three medics then finally Unohana glided over to them with their son wrapped up in the blue blanket "Congratulations Rangiku and Toushiro."

Rangiku reached her arms out eagerly and Unohana placed him in them gently.

"He's a lot smaller then your average baby" Unohana said moving towards the sink to wash off her arms.

Rangiku had to agree. Their son felt like a feather in her arms, so small and delicate "He's perfect... just like his father" tears began spilling down her cheeks, she felt incredibly happy.

Rangiku felt something drop on her forehead and she looked up and saw similar tears of happiness leaking from Toushiro's eyes "He's got my hair... and my eyes.."

Rangiku smiled, he was a miniature version of Toushiro. He had a tiny tuft of white hair sticking up, which she knew was going to be unruly, and two sparkling teal eyes were staring up at them. She could have sworn she saw a hint of Toushiro's trademark frown on his little face.

Toushiro reached a finger forward and stroked the back of his sons little hand, he grinned happily when he responded by wrapping his tiny digits around it.

"I love you Rangiku, I love you both" he said kissing her cheek.

"We love you too Toshi" Rangiku replied completely memorized by the little bundle in her arms.

Unohana stepped back over to them "Have you any thoughts on what your going to name him?" she asked softly.

Rangiku and Toushiro shared a look.

"He's really really small" Rangiku voiced aloud.

"He's our first born son" Toushiro said with a hint of pride in his voice.

"He's inherited your looks Toshi, lets hope he has your brains too."

"Maybe he will have your personality Rangiku" he mused.

"Well then you just know he's going to shine" she giggled.

They fell into silence each pondering names, however only one stood out and seemed to fit just nicely. They both looked at each other smiling, realising they was thinking the same thing.

"Kotaro" they said in unison, grinning at each other.

Toushiro looked up and smiled at Unohana "Kotaro Hitsugaya."

Unohana smiled warmly at them "Very well, I shall give you two some time alone while I fill out the appropriate paperwork."

When they were left alone Toushiro leaned forward "Hello Kotaro, Mummy and Daddy are very pleased to meet you at last" he planted a kiss upon his little forehead.

Kotaro began to cry and Rangiku began to bounce him softly in her arms. Toushiro reached a hand out and rested it on Kotaro's head "Don't cry little man."

"He's hungry Toshi" Rangiku loosened her robe and pulled it back, before lifting Kotaro up to her breast. He latched on and the cries instantly stopped. "See?"

"I cant believe we're parents. It feels more real now that he's actually here with us" Toushiro wrapped an arm around Rangiku's shoulder pulling her closer "How are you feeling now?"

"Sore...pretty tired...but incredibly happy."

"I was a bit worried when you didn't make it back to the office before I had to go to the meeting. It was agonizing when the meeting started and Unohana didn't show up."

"I'm sorry Toshi" Rangiku squeezed his hand.

"No don't be Ran. I knew you were in good hands. What happened anyway?"

"I was literally walking out the door after my check up and my waters broke."

Toushiro chuckled "At least you was in the right place."

There was a light tap on the door and Isane entered balancing a tray in one hand. She looked over to Rangiku smiling "Are you ready for something to eat Rangiku?"

"Thanks Isane" Rangiku replied gratefully.

Isane placed the tray down on a trolley and wheeled it over to the bed so Rangiku could eat while still holding Kotaro.

"Captain Hitsugaya" Isane turned to Toushiro and continued when he gave her a little nod "You have a few visitors at the main entrance, here to see you."

"Who?"

"Captains Ukitake and Kyouraku, along with Lieutenants Ise and Hinamori."

"Oh I see.." He looked down at his son who was still feeding, "Rangiku do you feel up to having visitors?"

"I'd love to see them" Rangiku's eyes lit up "Kotaro wants to meet his extended family too, don't you sweetie?" she asked planting a kiss on his forehead.

"Would you like me to fetch them for you Captain Hitsugaya?" Isane asked clasping her hands together.

"Yes, Thank you" He turned his attention back to Rangiku and Kotaro, once Isane departed to deliver the message.

* * *

Unohana stepped into her dark office and locked the door behind her. She didn't bother putting the lights on, the few beams of moonlight that shone through the windows cast a soft silvery glow that was soothing to her tired eyes.

She stepped over to her desk and placed the folder on top, before moving to sit on her chair. Instead of feeling the usual cushy seat below her, she felt someone else already sitting in the seat. She made to jump back to her feet, but two strong arms wrapped around her waist preventing her from moving any further.

"Shh relax Retsu. I didn't mean to startle you."

"Juushiro what are you doing in here?" she asked gently.

"Waiting for you of course" Smiling he released her from his grip and she straightened up and turned to face him.

Ukitake was sat lounging in her chair, one foot propped up on the opposite knee looking completely relaxed and like he belonged there. His Captains haori was discarded over the back of her chair, leaving him with just the black part of the uniform on. His shihakusho was loosely hanging open showing off his firm chest.

"I missed you today. Captains meetings seem so long with out you there" Ukitake said spreading his arms wide allowing Unohana to slide gracefully onto his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder. Ukitake wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer, while using his spare hand to tilt her chin up "You look tired" he commented before brushing his lips softly against hers.

She melted against his touch and moaned into his mouth when he deepened the kiss further. When they broke apart she dropped a hand from his neck and ran it over his chest "Its been a busy day Juu, but worth it."

"Finally a child" Ukitake smiled happily "We've been waiting so long for this day."

"Toushiro and Rangiku are going to make wonderful parents" Unohana shifted her weight slightly so she was sitting more comfortably in Ukitake's lap "The way Toushiro connected with the baby and soothed him. It really was a sight to see Juu."

"So what does the little guy look like?"

"He's adorable Juu, the spitting image of Toushiro, hair, eyes and size."

Ukitake scooped Unohana up in his arms and rose to his feet twirling her around, "That's made my day! Another Shiro-chan."

He gently placed Unohana back down on her feet, before pulling her in for another kiss. She broke the kiss off first and stepped away from him, "Juu I need to get this form filled out. You should go visit Toushiro, Rangiku and Kotaro."

"Kotaro?" he asked raising his eyebrows quizzically. Unohana just nodded in reply.

Ukitake smiled "Kotaro... Small first born son. I like it!"

"It certainly is a perfect fit" Unohana commented looking up from her form filling.

"I cant wait to meet the little fellow" Ukitake said enthusiastically, while perching himself on the edge of Unohana's desk.

"You can go and see him now if you like Juu, I'm going to be a little while filling these forms out."

Ukitake leant forward and cupped her cheeks in his hands "Its tempting Retsu, but I'd like to wait for you" He closed the distance between them and locked onto her lips for a long smouldering kiss.

* * *

"Aww he's so adorable" cooed Nanao from Rangiku's right side.

"Oh my god! He's so cute" squealed Momo from Rangiku's left side "He's a little Shiro-chan."

Toushiro's eye twitched at the nickname but he chose to let it slide this time. Instead he pulled his focus back to the conversation he was having with Kyouraku.

"Quite the chick magnet you have there kiddo" Kyouraku grinned "I bet all the ladies will be throwing themselves at you. I should get myself one" He hooked a finger over his chin in a thinking pose "Wonder if my Nanao-chan would be willing?"

Toushiro dodged out the way as a thick, heavy book came hurtling towards them, missing him by an inch. Kyouraku however wasn't so lucky. He was currently a whining heap on the floor, cradling his forehead and muttering about 'His cruel harsh Nanao-chan.'

Toushiro looked back over towards Rangiku's bed and was amused to see that Nanao hadn't even batted an eye at hitting her target dead on.

Kyouraku dragged himself back to his feet and threw an arm around Toushiro's shoulder. "I'm proud of you kiddo, I know Juu and Retsu are too. In all the years we've been Captains, we've always wanted to see a child born within the Gotei 13" Kyouraku adjusted his hat and clapped his shoulder before leaning closer "Juu sees you as his son, so he will see that little guy as his grandson. Personally I'm much too young and handsome to be a grandfather, so I'll be happy being Uncle Shunsui" he grinned.

"Kyouraku do you know where Ukitake is?" he questioned "I thought he'd be here."

"I was asking myself the same thing. He practically sprinted over here when the meeting finished" Kyouraku pulled him closer and whispered conspiratorially "I bet he's with Retsu" before straightening up with a wink.

Momo came rushing over to him, engulfing him in a hug and ruffling his hair "I need to get going, but I'll stop by again tomorrow Shiro-chan."

He frowned and shook her off "Don't call me that Momo, and I forbid you to call Kotaro that too," he replied. He just knew what she was thinking.

Momo just giggled before departing with a wave over her shoulder.

Before the door could close behind Momo, Ukitake stepped into the room with Unohana close behind him.

Kyouraku leant in again with a smirk on his face "See I told you."

Toushiro stepped away from Kyouraku and returned to Rangiku's bedside. Kyouraku followed him and stood behind Nanao resting both his hands on her shoulders.

"Well Rangiku I've registered Kotaro's birth and created a file for his medical records, I just need both yours and Toushiro's parental signatures on the form" Unohana said standing next to Toushiro.

Ukitake walked over, gazing down at Kotaro "Toushiro... Rangiku... he's..." Ukitake broke off lost for words. Toushiro glanced at Ukitake, he could have sworn the older man's eyes were shining. Ukitake suddenly grabbed Toushiro pulling him into a bone crushing hug, "He's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

Ukitake released him and leant down to plant a kiss on Rangiku's forehead "I'm so happy for the two of you."

"Would you like to hold him Captain Ukitake?" Rangiku asked grinning.

"I'd be happy to" Ukitake replied smiling his usual warm fatherly smile.

"Kotaro sweetie, this is Granddad Ukitake" Rangiku said placing Kotaro in his arms.

"Hello young man, I've been waiting a long time to meet you," Ukitake was delighted when Kotaro began making little noises.

"Rangiku.. Toushiro" Unohana began "There is a section on the birth registration form where you can name up to two people to be Kotaro's guardians, should anything ever happen to the two of you. You don't need to fill it out straight away if you need time to think about it."

"Captain Unohana" Rangiku began, reaching for Toushiro's hand "We've already given it some thought."

Toushiro gave Rangiku's hand a squeeze and smiled at her "Ukitake."

Ukitake tore his eyes away from Kotaro "Yes Toushiro?"

"Me and Rangiku have been talking, and we'd like it very much if you would be Kotaro's guardian, should anything ever happen to the two of us."

Ukitake's eyes widened "Do you mean it?"

Rangiku nodded "We do Captain Ukitake."

Ukitake's face lit up and he glanced back down at Kotaro nestled safely in his arms "Then I accept."

Toushiro nodded "Thank you Ukitake."

Unohana made a note of it on the form "Very well Toushiro I will need yours, Rangiku's and Juushiro's signature of agreement. Do you have a second guardian in mind at all?"

"Yes we do Captain Unohana" Rangiku said beaming "Me and Toshi were hoping that you would agree to being his guardian too."

"We know Kotaro would be in good hands with you and Ukitake, should anything happen to us." Toushiro said sincerely.

Unohana stepped forward and placed her hand on his shoulder "Toushiro, I'd be honoured to."

"You cant even begin to imagine how much this means to us" Ukitake said standing beside Unohana and wrapping his spare arm around her waist "Ukitake glanced over to Kyouraku and smirked "Sorry old friend."

Kyouraku grinned and waved his apology away "That's OK gramps. I'm too young and dashing to be a guardian."

"You forgot irresponsible..lazy..childish" Nanao began to check off each point on her fingers.

"Nanao-chan!" he whined loudly "That's not fair!" He pouted like a petulant child.

Ukitake looked down at Kotaro "Don't worry little one, Uncle Shunsui may be a bigger baby then you, but he wont ever let you down."

"Thank you Juu, at least someone has some faith in me" Kyouraku grinned tipping his hat.

Toushiro smirked at the familiar banter between his friends, who were now his self appointed, extended family. In his line of work, there was always the possibility that either one of them may not make it back from a mission. Any fight could be their last fight. That thought alone had worried him constantly upon finding out he was going to be a father. But the worry he felt wasn't for himself, it was for his son. He worried constantly what would happen to Kotaro if anything ever happened to him and Rangiku. That worry however had eased somewhat knowing that Kotaro would be well looked after by Ukitake and Unohana, should anything happen.

He was pulled from his thoughts when he felt Rangiku's hand slacken in his grip "Rangiku?" he asked turning his gaze to her.

He didn't know how long ago she'd fallen asleep, but he could tell she would be fast on for several hours. Even though she looked exhausted he could see the blissful look on her face. He pulled the blanket pooling around her waist, up to her chest tucking her in.

"She's had a very long and tiring day Toushiro" Unohana said resting a hand on his shoulder "Best to let her catch up on some sleep."

She turned to Ukitake, Kyouraku and Nanao "I'm sorry everyone but can I ask you all to leave, Rangiku needs her rest" she glanced at Kotaro and smiled "Kotaro too."

Ukitake stepped forward and handed Kotaro back to Toushiro, he smiled and clapped him on the shoulder "Thank you Toushiro."

After a quick round of goodbyes everyone departed quietly. Unohana quickly checked Rangiku's vitals before leaving to do the rounds, leaving Toushiro alone holding a sleeping Kotaro.

He walked over to the window and peered out into the night sky. There was a full moon and millions of stars glittering overhead, casting a soft enchanting glow over the Fourths gardens.

He looked down at Kotaro all snuggled up in his arms. He saw his little eyelids flutter and couldn't help wondering what he could be dreaming about.

Was he tiny like this too when he was a baby?

He glanced over to Rangiku to check that she was still sleeping soundly. Everywhere was so peaceful and quiet. Satisfied nobody was going to hear him he looked back down at Kotaro.

"Kotaro... My little man. I cant believe your the spitting image of me. So everyone keeps telling me."

He began a slow steady stroll around the room "You know, when I was little and living in the Rukongai, everyone used to keep their distance from me. I never really knew why, I always used to think they were scared of me because I looked different. Or maybe it was because of my cold personality."

"I think that's why I hated how I looked for so long, because I was different. It didn't help that I was so short too. It annoyed me so much when people would comment on my height or my hair."

"Between Hyourimaru's overwhelming power, my own pressure and brains, I had to grow up fast. To fast. I just hope you don't have to go through the same thing that I did."

"Its funny really, I hated it when people commented negatively about my appearance. Yet when Mummy or Auntie Momo would comment positively, saying I looked cute or adorable, for some reason I used to hate it a lot more. I guess I used to feel like they were patronizing me like some small little kid. I guess its true what they say, you never see yourself as clearly as others do. A persons perception of themselves will always be different to what others can see."

"I think I understand that better now. Everyone says your the spitting image of me and I'm not afraid to admit how adorable I think you look. I certainly don't hate anything about you, so maybe I should stop hating myself too? I'm proud to be your father and I'm so proud to have you as my son."

He walked over to the window again looking out over the moonlit gardens "Things will be a lot different for you growing up, then what they were for me. You have me and Mummy to love and protect you. We wont let anything bad happen to you. Then there's Ukitake, Unohana, Kyouraku, Nanao and Momo they all love you too."

"Don't grow up too fast Kotaro, Its OK to stay as little as you want. I don't mind at all. Even though you probably will, just try not to OK?"

Toushiro kissed Kotaro on his forehead before walking over to his little cot that had been set up for him. He placed him down gently and tucked him in "Good night son. Daddy loves you so much."

Next he walked over to Rangiku's bed and kissed her forehead too "Good night Rangiku, I love you too. I'll be back first thing in the morning."

He straightened up and walked over to the door, he gave the room one last glance before departing back to his Division.

The door clicked shut and Rangiku finally opened her eyes with a soft smile on her face. Two stray tears escaped from her eyes, trailing down her cheeks "Toushiro.." she whispered softly "You finally figured it out" she yawned sleepily before drifting back to sleep.


	33. Epilogue

Author's notes at bottom of page.

* * *

Someone To Lean On – Epilogue

~Three Years Later~

It was early evening and Hitsugaya was finally making his way back to his home. It'd been a very long day of paperwork, paperwork and more paperwork and not forgetting the long tedious task of writing out the budget report. At this point he was looking forward to dinner, a nice hot bath and bed. But most of all he was looking forward to seeing Rangiku and his little man, Kotaro.

Walking through the door of his home Hitsugaya kicked his sandals off and placed Hyourimaru on the sword stand, noticing that Haineko's space was empty. He noticed how quiet the place seemed. It was too quiet.

There were no pitter-patter of tiny feet running to greet him, no squeals of delight at his arrival, and the strangest thing of all; no bubbling laughter coming from any of the rooms. Strange.

"Rangiku! Kotaro!" he called out, walking through the hallway towards the living room. It was obvious they weren't home and now he was wondering where they could be.

He sighed and crashed down on the couch, threw his head back against the head rest and closed his eyes. He sighed and opened his eyes again. While he appreciated peace and quiet while working in the office, at home he found he liked the energetic sounds of his son and right now he missed it.

He sat up from his slouched position and saw a tiny scrap of paper that'd fluttered to the floor, curious he leant down and plucked it from its resting place.

Looking it over he saw it was a hastily written note from Rangiku, a small smile formed on his face after he read it.

_Toushiro _

_Have to visit the fourth after my SWA meeting. Ran into Ukitake and he offered to watch Kotaro, think they will be in the library. Meet you there?_

_Love Rangiku Xx_

He got to his feet smiling, of course they would be in the library where else would they be.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, he found himself walking through the library towards the children's section. Once abandoned and forgotten in time, the children's section had now been cleaned up and restored to its former glory. It was all thanks to Ukitake who had pulled some strings to open it up once again to the public.

He turned left and walked down the short walkway, when he reached the end it opened up into a comfortable seating area. Cushions and low tables were scattered around the floor and in the centre sat Ukitake propped up by a cushion with Kotaro nestled comfortably on his lap. Kotaro leant back into Ukitake's chest, while Ukitake held a book up in front of them.

"Jack stepped out of the window and onto the beanstalk and began to climb upwards" Ukitake read aloud from the book "He climbed up and up till after a time his mother's cottage looked a mere speck below, but at last the stalk ended, and he found himself in a new and beautiful country."

"What's the country like Granddad?" Kotaro gasped completely absorbed in the story.

Toushiro couldn't help but smile at his sons inquisitiveness, he loved knowledge and he would drink it up like a sponge. He was surprised Ukitake hadn't ran out of stories to read to him yet.

"Lets read on and find out shall we" Ukitake smiled warmly.

Kotaro's eyes lit up and his little head bobbed up and down enthusiastically "A little way off there was a great castle, with a broad road leading straight up to the front gate."

Toushiro was so absorbed watching Ukitake reading with Kotaro, he didn't notice Rangiku's silent approach until she wrapped her arms around his waist.

She snuggled into his back and planted a kiss on the back of his neck. He brought his hands up and rested them over Rangiku's "I missed you both today."

"We missed you too Toshi" Rangiku hugged him tighter.

"I found your note, is everything OK?"

"Everything is fine" Rangiku caught Ukitake's eye and he paused in his reading and smiled back at her.

Sensing Ukitake's shift in attention, Kotaro paused in his reading and looked up. Spotting his mum and dad, his whole face lit up with a beaming smile and he leapt from Ukitake's lap and went running over to them with his little arms stretched wide open "Mummy.. Daddy.." he squealed in delight.

Rangiku disentangled herself from Toushiro and bent down to scoop Kotaro up into her arms "Been having fun with granddad?" she asked before planting a kiss on his cheek.

Kotaro wiggled around in his mother's arms to look back at Ukitake, who was still sat on the floor smiling at them "Granddad been reading me a story, about a boy called Jack who planted some beans and it grew into a huge beanstalk which he could climb up!"

"What an interesting story Kotaro" Rangiku smiled, kissing the top of his head.

Ukitake stood up and came walking over to them "Its surprising how much he loves listening to stories, I'm running out of books to read to him" Ukitake patted Kotaro on the head "Smart little kid."

Kotaro tilted his head to look at Ukitake "I'm not little" He threw his arms wide "I'm a big boy!"

Toushiro chuckled and lifted Kotaro up to sit on his shoulders "All right, if you say so big man."

Kotaro grinned at his new vantage point and threaded his fingers into Toushiro's hair "See I'm bigger then Daddy!"

"I suppose its time we headed home" Toushiro shifted his shoulders so Kotaro could sit more securely "I'm ready for some dinner."

"I agree, Plus.." Rangiku reached her hand up and tickled Kotaro's stomach "Its a certain young man's bath night."

"Do I have to?" he pouted.

"Yes you do sweetie" Rangiku replied moving to tickle his ribs "And its Daddy's turn to bathe you."

Kotaro's eyes lit up with excitement "Splash war!" he cried out drumming his hands on Toushiro's head.

"Not this time little man" Toushiro smirked "There was more water on the floor then in the bath last time."

Ukitake chuckled and ruffled Kotaro's hair.

"Would you like to join us for dinner Captain Ukitake?" Rangiku asked politely.

"Say yes granddad... Say yes!"

Ukitake glanced at Toushiro who nodded his head, "I'd be delighted to, thank you."

Rangiku stepped forward and linked her arm in Ukitake's, "Well then lets head back."

* * *

Kotaro's childish chuckles and giggles floated down the hallway from the bathroom, along with several loud splashes of water. Dinner had been an enjoyable affair and while Toushiro were bathing Kotaro, Rangiku had cleaned up the dinner pots and was now having a relaxing drink with Ukitake.

"Here we go Captain Ukitake" Rangiku handed him a steaming cup of tea then settled herself on the couch next to him.

"Thank you dear" Ukitake took the offered cup and began blowing on it to cool it down.

"Thank you for watching Kotaro today."

"Its OK Rangiku, I enjoy spending time with the little fellow. He's a joy to have around."

Rangiku smiled "Did he seem OK while he was with you?"

Ukitake quirked an eyebrow at that question "Sure, why do you ask?"

Rangiku was about to reply when the bathroom door flew open with a bang and Kotaro charged down the hallway laughing and giggling. He burst into the living room wet through and wearing nothing but a few stray soap suds squealing with delight, being pursued by Toushiro who was dripping wet from head to toe and brandishing a towel.

"Kotaro!" Toushiro called.

"Mummy! Daddy trying to chase me!" he squealed before ducking behind the couch.

Rangiku placed her cup down and rose to her feet, walking to the other side of the couch and cutting off Kotaro's escape route. Seeing his way barred, Kotaro quickly back tracked but was ambushed from behind by Toushiro, who trapped him in the towel and scooped him up.

Kotaro giggled and squirmed trying to break free "Granddad save me! The sea monster caught me."

"Come on little man" Toushiro said hoisting Kotaro over his shoulder and walking back down the hallway "Time to get you dried off and in your PJ's."

Ukitake chuckled "Whose bath time was it suppose to be?"

Rangiku sighed shaking her head "I'm beginning to wonder."

"Rangiku you was saying about Kotaro, is everything all right?" Ukitake asked kindly.

"He seems fine during the day" Rangiku reached for her cup of tea and took a sip "But he doesn't seem to be sleeping so well lately. He gets a bit reluctant about going to bed."

"I see" Ukitake drained his cup and placed it down on the table "How long ago did this start?"

"About three weeks ago. Me and Toshi have kept to his regular bed time routine hoping he'll settle down."

"Hmm so its just at night?" Ukitake asked.

Rangiku nodded "He loves his bath time, as you just saw" They heard the pitter-patter of tiny feet padding down the hallway. Rangiku dropped her voice to a whisper "Just watch the next few minutes and see for yourself."

Ukitake nodded and settled back into the couch.

Kotaro stepped around the corner wearing his favourite green PJ's and clutching his blue stuffed dragon to his chest, beaming happily at Rangiku and Ukitake.

"Mummy I'm all dry now" he called running over to her.

Rangiku picked Kotaro up and sat him down on her knee, rocking him gently from side to side. Kotaro yawned sleepily and rubbed a hand across his eyes.

"Are you feeling tired sweetie?" Rangiku asked cuddling him.

Yawing again Kotaro rested his head on Rangiku's shoulder "No."

Toushiro stepped into the living room dabbing his hair dry with a towel "Sounds to me like someone's ready for bed."

"Daddy I don't want to go to bed" Kotaro complained disentangling himself from Rangiku.

Toushiro crouched down so he was eye level with Kotaro and held both of his little hands in his own "Kotaro you told me and Mummy this morning that you didn't sleep well last night."

"That's right sweetie" Rangiku kissed the top of Kotaro's head "Which is why you need your sleep tonight."

"No.." Kotaro whined, tugging his hands out of Toushiro's grasp, growing agitated.

"Kotaro, maybe you could tell us why you didn't sleep so well last night" Toushiro asked.

Kotaro pouted and shook his head stubbornly.

Rangiku took a deep breath and released it as a sigh. She looked over to Ukitake who was watching them fondly.

Toushiro rested a hand on Kotaro's head, letting the subject drop for now "Kotaro, why don't you sit with granddad for a little while."

Kotaro nodded and climbed off Rangiku's lap and clambered over to Ukitake, his white mop flopping in his eyes as he went.

Toushiro straightened up sighing, he reached a hand out and pulled Rangiku to her feet "We'll be right back Ukitake."

Ukitake nodded "No worries Toushiro."

Toushiro began to lead Rangiku down the hallway, once they were out of earshot he paused and turned to face her.

"That's the third time this week Toshi" Rangiku commented, peeking over her shoulder. She could hear Kotaro chatting away happily with Ukitake.

"I know. Something must be upsetting him at night Rangiku. Why else would he only act up when its time for bed," Toushiro pinched the bridge of his nose between his finger and thumb "He's a good kid."

Toushiro carried on walking, pulling Rangiku along behind him "Toshi?"

"I just want to check his room real quick. Maybe there's something casting a shadow that spooks him," He reached Kotaro's door and slid it open "Either that or he's having nightmares."

Their quick search of Kotaro's room turned up nothing "He must be having a bad dream or something Toshi, like you said."

Toushiro sighed "I guess the only thing we can do now is to talk to him, hopefully he will tell us what's bothering him."

"Not tonight though" Rangiku walked over to Kotaro's bed and straightened the pillow "He's already agitated enough."

Toushiro nodded "I'll keep an eye on him tonight, then we'll ask him tomorrow."

"Are you planning on staying watch all night?" Rangiku asked, walking over and pulling him into a hug.

"Yes, I'll wait for him to fall asleep. Then I'll camp in here tonight" Seeing Rangiku's puzzled expression he quickly added "I have a hunch Rangiku."

"I don't like the idea of spying on him whilst he's asleep" Rangiku sighed "But if we can get to the bottom of what's upsetting him."

"I know" He pulled away from Rangiku "I don't like it either."

"Mummy" Kotaro's little voice called down the hallway, followed by the soft patter of feet on the wooden floor.

"I'm in here sweetie."

Kotaro's footsteps sped up as he bounded down the hallway. He skidded to a halt outside his door and clutched his stuffed dragon tightly to his chest.

Rangiku smiled at him and opened her arms, the frown adorning Kotaro's face melted away as he launched himself at her. She bent down and picked him up, cuddling him "Are you OK sweetie?"

He yawned and snuggled into her shoulder "I'm tired Mummy."

"I know you are" Rangiku carried him over to his bed and perched herself on the edge and sat Kotaro on her lap. She pulled the cover back and transferred him into his bed and tucked him in "You'll feel much better after a good nights sleep."

Kotaro stared back at her with sad puppy dog eyes "I don't want to go to sleep."

Rangiku leant in and kissed his forehead "Why not sweetie?"

Kotaro's bottom lip stuck out and he turned his gaze away from Rangiku, in a tiny voice that was barely a whisper he said "Its... scary."

"What's scary?" Rangiku asked casually, not wanting to force the subject.

Kotaro yawned and his eyes drooped close. Toushiro walked over and ruffled his hair "There's nothing to be afraid of little man, try to get some sleep."

Rangiku stood up and they both silently walked towards the door, they were just about to walk out when Kotaro spoke up "Daddy.."

Toushiro paused and looked over his shoulder "Yes Kotaro?"

Kotaro's teal eyes peered at them from under the bed cover "Can you check for monsters?" he asked quietly.

Toushiro shared a glance with Rangiku "Monsters?"

Kotaro's little head nodded.

"Sure thing little man" he replied catching on instantly "But you need to tell me what they look like" Toushiro said stepping over to Kotaro's bed "I have no idea what they look like." Rangiku smiled and slipped quietly out of the room.

When he heard the door slide shut Toushiro turned to his son "Kotaro, tell me more about these monsters, what do they look like?"

"I don't know" Kotaro said hesitantly, burying his face into his stuffed dragon "I just hear them."

"Them? You mean there's more then one?"

Kotaro nodded "Two I think."

"What do they sound like? Do they talk to each other?"

Kotaro's brow furrowed in concentration "One of them tries to talk, but I can never hear it."

"Why not?" Toushiro replied completely absorbed in this strange conversation.

"The other one is too loud Daddy" Kotaro's eyes darted from left to right before settling back on Toushiro.

"This other one, does it talk loudly?" Toushiro asked.

Kotaro shook his head "He roars all the time, its really loud!"

"Hmm" Toushiro quickly thought it over, he had a sneaky suspicion he knew what was going on "Kotaro, can you easily tell the difference between the two... Monsters?"

Kotaro looked a little confused at first, but he soon caught on "The loud one sounds really old and big!"

"And the quiet one little man?" Toushiro prompted.

"I don't know its hard to hear Daddy."

"Would you say it sounded smaller...younger maybe?"

Kotaro yawned and snuggled deeper into his bed. Seeing this Toushiro decided to leave it be, "Get some sleep little man, and don't worry I'm sure they mean you no harm."

"Promise?" Kotaro asked holding out his little finger.

Toushiro hooked his little finger around Kotaro's "Promise" He ruffled his hair and pulled the cover up to his chin "Goodnight son."

"Night Daddy."

Toushiro walked out the room and slid the door shut, he headed down the hallway and into the living room. Rangiku lounging on the couch looked up and smiled at him "Did he talk to you?"

"Yes and I think I know what's upsetting him" He stepped over to the sword stand and pulled Hyourimaru off, before settling down on the floor in front of Rangiku.

Rangiku glanced at Ukitake who was equally puzzled "And?" she asked draping her arms over Toushiro's shoulders.

"I'll be right back" he closed his eyes and began slowing his breathing.

* * *

Opening his eyes the frozen barren landscape of his inner world came into focus. Looking around he searched for a glimpse of Hyourimaru, but the frozen plain appeared deserted.

"Hyourimaru!" he yelled at the top of his lungs "HYOURIMARU!"

He sighed in frustration "Dumb dragon."

The ground shook beneath his feet and a loud rumble sounded from behind him, he spun on his heel and found Hyourimaru staring back. The dragon snorted, engulfing him in a cloud of steam.

"Master?"

"Where was you just now?" he demanded.

"Toushiro... Are you angry with me?"

"You've been visiting my sons inner world, haven't you?"

Hyourimaru lowered his head in shame "I was just keeping an eye on the little dragon."

Toushiro sighed "Thats great and all, but you need to stop. Kotaro's scared to go to bed at night because he keeps hearing monsters."

"Monsters... really?" Hyourimaru grinned "What do they sound like?"

"Idiot!" Toushiro clenched his teeth together tightly "The only thing he's hearing at night is a certain loud mouth dragon who doesn't know when to zip it."

"Which dragon would that be then?"

"YOU!" Toushiro took a deep breath and counted to ten "Hyourimaru I appreciate that you've been watching over him, but you need to stop. Kotaro's starting to become aware of his inner world."

"Really? He's only three years old."

"I know, and to a three year old who hasn't been told about Zanpakuto's yet. Your damn near frightening. So do you think you could back off a little?"

Hyourimaru snorted "What's this really about Toushiro?"

"I just want him to have a normal happy childhood" He folded his arms across his chest "Is it too much to ask for?"

"I get it now" Hyourimaru snaked his tail around Toushiro's waist and hoisted him up into the air so he was eye level "Your scared Kotaro's going to grow up too fast."

"I'm not scared... he's just.." Toushiro faltered.

"He's what? Toushiro.. Just say it" Hyourimaru rumbled.

"He's too young Hyourimaru... Just like I was too young... I was forced to grow up too fast, I don't want him having to do the same."

"He wont Toushiro" Hyourimaru placed him back down on the floor "I've been making sure of that."

"How?" Toushiro asked quirking an eyebrow.

"Come now, I want to show you something" Hyourimaru scooped him up with his tail again and began walking away "You need to see this for yourself, maybe then you will understand why I've been doing what I have."

Not really having much choice in the matter, Toushiro allowed himself to be carried away by Hyourimaru.

* * *

The next day at breakfast Toushiro sat at the table quietly sipping his tea while Rangiku bustled around the kitchen making breakfast. It was still pretty early and he wasn't expecting Kotaro to emerge any time soon. So when the tiny toddler came bursting into the room full of energy, Toushiro jumped and nearly dropped his cup.

"Mummy! Daddy!" he called brightly, bounding into the room noisily.

"Morning sweetie" Rangiku called from the kitchen, placing the omelette pan down "Ready for some breakfast?"

Kotaro padded over to Rangiku and hugged her leg before bounding over to the table and climbing onto the chair next to Toushiro "I'm hungry Mummy."

Toushiro reached a hand over and ruffled Kotaro's hair, then poured a drink of juice for him "There you go little man."

Rangiku walked over to the table and placed the plates down, then settled herself down on the other side of Kotaro "Did you sleep well last night Kotaro?" she asked as they began tucking in.

Kotaro's hair fell into his eyes as he nodded "I had a dream Mummy."

"Did you sweetie, I hope it wasn't about those monsters you had Daddy search for last night."

Toushiro grinned and busied himself with drinking his tea.

"It was Mummy, I saw a big blue monster, a small orange monster and Daddy was there!"

Toushiro choked on his tea. Coughing and spluttering, he thumped his chest hard with his fist. When he could breathe again he saw the amused expression on Rangiku's face.

"Really Sweetie, what else happened?" Rangiku smirked at Toushiro.

Toushiro held his breath, he only gave Rangiku the brief version of his talk with Hyourimaru and even then he omitted quite a few facts. He hoped like hell Kotaro hadn't tuned into his inner world, he wasn't entirely sure how Rangiku would feel about it.

"I'm not really sure" Kotaro's little eyebrows knitted together in concentration "The big blue monster was roaring really loud at the orange one."

"A big blue monster?" Rangiku stared pointedly at Toushiro.

"Yes, then Daddy seemed really mad and shooed the blue one away."

"Really now. What happened to the orange monster Kotaro?" Rangiku asked ignoring the warning look Toushiro was shooting at her.

Kotaro cocked his head to the side "I.. I don't know."

"That's all right little man" Toushiro cut in steering the conversation away "It was only a dream after all."

Rangiku glared at Toushiro with a 'You and me are going to talk later' look.

Growing nervous Toushiro changed the subject "Kotaro why don't you go and brush your teeth and get dressed. Then we can all go out."

"Where we going Daddy?"

"Your mum thought it would be a nice idea to go for a long walk and take a picnic with us."

"PICNIC!" Kotaro jumped down off his chair and ran off in the direction of the bathroom.

"Does he ever sit still?" Toushiro wondered aloud.

"You are not changing the subject Toshi" Rangiku placed her cup down on the table and folded her arms "How come Kotaro's dreaming about you and Hyourimaru? And what is this other 'Orange Monster' he mentioned?"

Toushiro gulped, the only way out of this was to tell the truth. "Well you see, I think maybe... perhaps.. Kotaro's kinda becoming aware of his inner world..." he winced at the expression on Rangiku's face.

"He's three years old Toshi."

"I know Ran."

"I suppose this orange thing is his Zanpakuto? What is it exactly?"

"A dragon.. like Hyourimaru. Just smaller."

Rangiku shook her head "No! He's too young Toshi."

"I know, I said the exact same thing. Hyourimaru agrees too, only Kotaro's Zanpakuto is a bit on the eager side."

"What are we going to do about it?" Rangiku asked sighing.

"Nothing, Hyourimaru's assured me he'll carry on watching over the other dragon... In my inner world. That way Hyourimaru can prevent him from making contact too soon, and Kotaro gets peace at night."

"I guess I always knew deep down he would be a Shinigami some day too, it stands to reason. I just never expected his mind to develop so quickly."

"I guess he takes after me in that aspect Rangiku."

"We'll talk about this another time Toshi" Kotaro's light footsteps could be heard pattering down the hallway, Rangiku got to her feet and gathered up the breakfast pots "Its a beautiful day and I just want to enjoy it with my two favourite guys."

Kotaro charged into the room and Toushiro scooped him up and sat him securely on his shoulders. Rangiku grabbed the picnic basket off the side and reached for Toushiro's hand.

"Everyone ready?" she asked brightly.

"Lets go! Lets go!" chanted Kotaro kicking his legs out excitedly.

"I'm ready" Toushiro squeezed Rangiku's hand smiling and guided her out the door.

~The End~

* * *

Well guys that's the end of this story, I got to admit I'm a little sad about it D: But not to worry, I planned the epilogue so it could open up into a sequel :D

Firstly I apologise for the considerably late update, after stating I would have it up in a couple days _. I've been quite ill lately and the last three chapters have been a real struggle to write.

I plan to have bit of a break from writing just while I get myself feeling well again, but I can garuntee I will be jotting ideas down.

I want to say a huge huge Thank you to all the readers that have read this story and added me to your favourites/alerts etc.

An extra big Thank you to every single person who took the time to leave a review, from my very first reviewer to my regular reviewers - It was your constant support and encouragement that fueled this story and got it completed ^_^

I have a great idea for a sequel and I'm looking forward to getting started on it. Feel free to request anything you'd like to see in the next story, any specific scenes with Kotaro/Rangiku/Toushiro. Also with Uki/Uno and Shun/Nanao :D

Well that's it for now, feel free to review and comment even though the story is complete, I really do love hearing from my readers d^_^b

TealEyedDragon Xx (Sarah) xX


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